


Alec Hardy goes to Gracepoint

by silversurfer60



Category: Broadchurch, Doctor Who (2005), Gracepoint (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crossover, F/M, Pete's World, Post-Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-11
Updated: 2015-06-11
Packaged: 2018-04-03 22:35:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 31,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4117260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silversurfer60/pseuds/silversurfer60
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alec Hardy goes on a trip to a small northern Californian town called Gracepoint only to face déjà vu and instantly regrets getting on the same plane as a certain Rose Tyler and is in for a long flight. Alec puts his big foot in his mouth and ropes Rose into being his girlfriend to avoid an English hotel owner who is on the prowl and Alec is sure she's related to a certain hotel owner in Broadchurch. Things get messed up when Alec finds himself mixed up in a local murder investigation reminiscent of the case he had just solved and nearly caused his death. Can Rose help him this time?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The flight, the airport and the baggage claim

**Author's Note:**

> Alec Hardy had no choice but to have his operation after he was forced out of his job in Broadchurch, so before deciding whether to go back or not, he goes on a trip to a small northern Californian town called Gracepoint only to face déjà vu and meet Rose Tyler, who has been sent to form a local branch of Torchwood. Set in the AU where Alec Hardy goes on holiday to Gracepoint and instantly regrets getting on the same plane as a certain Rose Tyler and is in for a long flight.
> 
> Does not contain any reference to the new series and is based more on the events in Broadchurch but without Alec Hardy being involved solving the case. No characters are named except Alec Hardy and Rose Tyler and a few already established minor ones.

Much to his relief, Alec had survived the operation for a pacemaker fitted even though he thought he had no right to survive and despite his doctor's orders had delayed it until the trial was over. Ellie Miller had not wanted to be at the trial although she had played a big part in the investigation until the end. He really didn't want to go back to Broadchurch even though his status was re-instated when he was given the all clear, no-one liked him anyway, well except maybe Becca Fisher, who had looked after him during his time when he was fighting for his life and when he had been discharged from hospital. So he packed his belongings and got a coach to the nearest airport after paying a visit to the travel agents to find a remote town somewhere where he could gather his thoughts and California somehow for whatever reason seemed quite appealing.

While he was waiting for his flight, he couldn't help notice a small blonde female who was sat with a blonde haired man and assumed they were together as they were laughing and joking but when the flight was called and they went into the departure lounge, the two had said goodbye with a hug and she had gone forward on her own. Once on board the plane, Alec was directed to his seat, having paid for one with extra leg room and an outside seat and found the blonde who he had seen earlier was struggling with getting a cabin bag in the overhead compartment. He did what any man would have done and offered to help her but mainly so he could get seated. This was going to be a long flight.

He wasn't much for small talk so he got out the book he had bought and settled down, the woman was fishing in the shoulder bag she had refused to put in the overhead compartment and brought out an mp3 player and stuck the earphones in and then produced a book. Alec thought this was indeed going to be a long flight and wishing now he had paid more for first class or gone economy and got on a Zeppelin but that would have taken a lot longer, planes were faster for long journeys. He planned on being there a month, maybe more if he liked it but being in the police had it's advantages, he could stay as long as he wanted without any questions.

The hostess came round with pillows and bottles of water and other such items, Alec opting for a pillow and water but the woman was taking no notice as the hostess motioned to her so Alec taped her lightly on the arm to get her attention and pointed to the trolley. She took her earphones out and asked for water and a pillow, said 'thanks' and began shuffling about again. Alec was beginning to think this was a big mistake as she couldn't open the bottle and gave him a smile and offered it to him hopefully. He took pity on her and opened it with ease, she was either weak or playing the damsel in distress and passed it back once he had put the top partly back on so it wouldn't spill on either of them to which she said 'thanks' again. He was thinking that was the only word she knew.

Then to annoy him even more, she pulled down the tray in front of her which also brought Alec's down, then she was trying to push his back up but he motioned for her to leave it so she just smiled at him again and put her drink down and put her earphones back in but the hostess motioned for her to take them out until after the plane had taken off due to the safety announcements and other safety issues while on the ground. So she stuck her nose back in her book again after putting her seat belt on when the sign came on.

Alec was smiling to himself as she had struggled to get the seat belt on, having to indicate to her how to fasten it since the hostess was busy elsewhere, he was going to be stuck on the plane for hours which now were going to seem like days, sitting next to her. So he resigned himself to her fidgeting and dipping into her purse, bringing out some mints and offering him one. He politely smiled and took one, knowing that it would help once the plane took off which seemed like an age and finally, the safety announcements were over and the plane began to taxi on the runway but he could see the woman wasn't enjoying it and was gripping the arm of her seat and pulling a face, which was probably why she was going to listen to some music.

He tapped her arm and asked if she was ok to which she shook her head so he offered his arm and she took it and almost hung on for dear life but was still making a face as the plane left the ground and then she clasped hold of his hand instead and closed her eyes. Once the plane started to level off, her face changed and she opened her eyes and withdrew her hand rather quickly, looking slightly red and muttered 'sorry' and observed the signs had been switched off and messed around finding her earphones again.

Alec was kind of hoping he would at least have the chance to talk to her since she had just grabbed his hand but instead, he picked up his book, put his glasses back on and continued where he had left off. The airline staff soon began to busy themselves bringing drinks, which Alec refused, then they started serving food to which his travelling companion had no trouble spotting as various plates and cups were handed backwards and forwards and Alec was really wishing now he had got the inside seat as he seemed to be doing most of the handing over with the odd smile or two and the 'thanks' and he managed to eat fairly quickly before his meal went totally cold.

The meal thankfully out of the way, he decided to edge his seat back and make use of the pillow and close his eyes, book still in hand but that wasn't to be, he could hear the music and the woman was absent-mindedly tapping her fingers on the armrest and moving her feet on the footrest which she had raised up and pushed back her seat and Alec couldn't help but stare the way she was moving her hips in her tight jeans, thinking he wasn't watching but he could see her out of the corner of his eye as he tried to close them but forgetting his need to get some sleep as he was being distracted.

Since he was dozing off, he accidentally let his book fall and in an attempt to retrieve it, his arm bumped into hers and she looked at him and took one of the earphones out and asked if the music was disturbing him. He politely said no but it was, so guessing it was, she said she would turn it down. It was only two hours into the long flight and he knew he was never going to survive this, already regretting even contemplating such a long journey. If he had been seated next to another man, they may have struck up a conversation but he was no good at talking to women but airlines never bothered about who they were seating you next to, he just wished it hadn't been such an attractive looking blonde female who had turned her music down but was still tapping away and moving in her seat.

Failing to get to sleep, he put his glasses back on and opened his book but had lost his place and now the woman seemed to be messing around with her music player and it occurred to him she may just be doing it to annoy him. She gave up with the music player, Alec thinking hopefully she had forgot to put fresh batteries in it so she would stop moving around and driving him mad and he could finally go to sleep. No, she dived into her shoulder bag again and came out with a magazine, then back into her purse and brought out the mints again, offering him one as he was about to take his glasses off. He accepted one with another 'thanks' and she smiled at him, putting them away and picking up her magazine. He leaned back in his seat, putting his glasses in his shirt pocket and tried to close his eyes. Not to be, she was shuffling the pages of her magazine so he gave up and there were hours to go yet, he would never survive. A whole murder investigation and a heart operation and it was down to a young blonde woman sat next to him on a seemingly endless flight that had finally got the better of him.

She put the magazine down and Alec thought 'yes' as she sat back and closed her eyes so he did the same and when he woke up he could feel something on his arm as his eyes opened to find the woman was leaning on it, didn't she have enough room on her own seat? He didn't want to be rude though and wake her suddenly for fear she would be annoyed so he moved his arm gently, hoping she would move over but all she did was move further onto him. His arm was feeling slightly numb by this stage so he tried again, this time she turned her head and he moved his arm and she woke up, grinned sheepishly at him and picked up her bottle of water and drank from it, rather sexily Alec thought.

Another snack was served thankfully, it would be some time before he got to eat properly. Two hours later, the flight attendant announced they would be landing shortly and Alec had never been so glad to be getting off a plane and he knew once he got off, there was still a fair way to go but that was the point of it, getting away from it all, after all, he was going to what was known as the last town in America. Hopefully, the blonde was going somewhere else – or so he thought. The plane landed, passengers began to gather their luggage and helpfully, Alec lifted the woman's hand luggage down onto the seat he had vacated and got another 'thanks' out of her and he made his way to the exit. Once inside the terminal, he went through customs, declaring himself as a Police Officer then he had to find the baggage claim and then he had to find the bus that was taking him the rest of the way, everything was supposed to have been arranged.

He found a sign for baggage claim but somehow he ended up going the wrong way and found himself near the exit to the airport and turning around, found the woman from the plane looking just as confused until they both realised where they had gone wrong and found most of the passengers from their flight plus another all waiting around the luggage carousel. Alec hated that, his case always seemed to have been taken of last but as people claimed theirs one by one, sure enough, there was no sign of his as he had put a distinguishing label on it. The blonde woman was also still waiting, was somebody really out to annoy him this trip or was it just a coincidence?

There were only a few people still waiting and he was beginning to think his case had been left behind when he'd got on the plane but just then some more came through the curtain and two more people claimed them. He thought maybe someone had picked his up by mistake but he was certain his had not come through. At last, three more cases came through as he was about to go find someone to ask where his had got to. His case plus two smaller floral cases came through and Alec thought he would have surely missed the bus he was supposed to be getting even though it had been booked and he would have had over an hour to wait for it anyway.

Claiming his case, he remembered the way out then suddenly realised, the woman who had been waiting had two cases and turned to see if he could help her but she was nowhere in sight. Resigning himself he was going to miss his bus, he turned around just as she came around the corner struggling with two cases, two shoulder bags and her purse. Alec put his shoulder bag on top of his case and offered to pick up one of her cases which she gratefully accepted. He could now see why someone had been with her before they took off. After goodness knows how many hours on the plane, she had finally said more than a few words, like she couldn't have spoken sooner, he thought.

They walked towards the exit, Alec was going to the bus terminal so he asked if she was getting a taxi, she said no, she was getting a bus. Just his luck it was the same one which despite his worries they caught with time to spare, the woman asking if he would mind looking after one of her shoulder bags and the overseeing of her cases putting on the bus while she ran back inside to the ladies room as the driver put their luggage into the side of the bus, so he waited for her coming back and they climbed on board and found most of the seats were taken, there were just two at the back so Alec gestured for her to sit by the window and put the two large shoulder bags on the rack and sat down.

Suddenly she began to smile and held out her hand and said, "Hi, I'm Rose and it looks like we're both going to the same place – Gracepoint."


	2. Alec arrives in Gracepoint and opens his big mouth

Alec shook her hand. "Alec Hardy, nice to meet you finally. You do know we just spent hours on a plane and hardly spoke a word to each other?" he smiled.

"Yeah, sorry about that, I just didn't feel like talking much although my mum says sometimes I never stop. It's just that I used to travel all the time with someone who never stopped talking so this time I just wanted some peace and quiet. I must have annoyed you though, the music, the magazine, oh and the tapping."

Alec was about to say not to forget the hip swaying but thought better of it. "That's ok and by the way, you're welcome for the hand to hold on take-off and the arm when you fell asleep."

"Oh, sorry about that, I'm more used to travelling on Zeppelins than planes so I'm not keen on the take-offs, it's just they take so long on distance travelling. I'll be glad to get to my hotel and get some proper food and some sleep. How long are you staying for?''

"Not sure, a month, maybe longer, depends. I'm in no hurry to get back."

"You on holiday or business then, if you don't know how long you're staying?" she laughed.

Alec just smiled and said he didn't know as he was contemplating seeing if he liked the place and maybe stay even longer, there was nothing for him to go back to as his daughter was still having nothing to do with him, he may as well be on the other side of the Atlantic for all the good his phone calls had done. "What about you, it's a lot of luggage for someone on holiday on their own."

"I'm on an exchange program, seeing how a small town American Police Department works, they've sent someone over to police headquarters where I work and I was chosen because of my excellent qualifications," she joked. "No, really, everyone was scrambling for it because it was supposed to be San Francisco but it got changed. So I volunteered, I like travelling to unknown places."

She thought back to when she was oh so far away in her own universe travelling to distant planets but now, she was Earthbound but still managed to travel thanks to her position within Torchwood, going out and meeting new people and going to new places when there had been signs of anything strange going on and just north of San Francisco had been of interest lately so her cover of working in the police had come in useful and she had completed her training as a liaison officer between the police and Torchwood in the UK which helped and had got her in with no problem to the Gracepoint Police Department with a view to Torchwood opening a branch there but the Americans had no concept of what her true mission was. Her job was to smooth things over when Torchwood took over even though a lot of top senior officers knew about them and they were well known in some places as 'special ops'. Still she was used to that, travelling with the Doctor all that time ago. She was prepared to do her job in order to get a good look around the town and see if it was worthwhile sending a team out under some guise or other and in fact it had been touch and go if her stepfather was going to let her go on her own, he was going to send Jake with her but she enjoyed a challenge.

Glad that at least now he knew her name but not sure if she wanted to have anything more to do with him once they arrived, he supposed that being a small town they would run across one another at some point but if she was working then he may find out where she was staying and maybe ask her out to dinner since there probably weren't many more people from the UK going to be there.

It took an hour to arrive at the bus terminal which was little more than a drop off point and Alec waited until most of the other passengers were getting off before handing down Rose's shoulder bags and getting his own down and made his way to the front of the bus, helping Rose down the last deep step as she stood and looked at it, taking her bags from her then offering his hand. Their cases were side by side on the pavement, the driver must have assumed they were travelling together when he had seen them arrive at the bus and Alec had been in charge of the luggage and the driver nodded to Alec as he retrieved his case, put his shoulder bag on top and offered to help Rose. "Might as well see it through," he thought as he picked up her case and asked her where she was staying – the same hotel as he was.

It was getting dark as they tried to locate the hotel, asking directions to find it was just down the street and walking in through the front door to be greeted by a blonde haired woman who spoke to them with a British accent and who looked at the two of them as they put their luggage down, clearly not expecting them to arrive at the same time, let alone look like they already knew each other as Alec handed Rose her shoulder bag he seemed to have managed to acquire when he picked up her case somehow and they both stepped up to the desk and gave their names.

"Welcome to Gracepoint, I take it this is your first visit. I didn't realise you two were travelling together, you're both British? Oh, sorry, you don't sound British." She looked up and down at Alec. "Of course not, you're Scottish, you might find people around here have trouble understanding you, they've only just got used to me."

Rose recognised her accent not to be from London and sounded rather like the one the first Doctor had but could have been mistaken so she had some room to talk. Rose thought she had found her new friend easy to understand, especially after that ridiculous accent the Doctor had put on when they had visited Scotland.

Alec was thinking the hotel owner must be some relation of Becca Fisher's and hoped she didn't have the same reputation and thought it just his luck to pick a hotel with a female owner who was apparently on the prowl for single or otherwise males who were travelling alone. He might have to have a think about that.

"I'm sure I'll manage, I wasn't planning on doing a lot of talking to the locals anyway. Is there any chance we can get something to eat, we've had a long journey?" he asked, believing he was speaking for his fellow traveller as well.

"The dining room is still open if you hurry, you can leave your things here if you like," the owner said, taking pity on them.

They left their things and entered the dining room and sat at a corner table that was still laid out and looked at the menu, Alec getting his glasses out of his pocket, much it seemed, to Rose's amusement. He was wondering what exactly was so funny, maybe she had a thing about men who wore them for reading, he didn't need them most of the time anyway. They ordered their food and Rose decided she was tired of being quiet and seemed to have found her voice as she talked about where she was from and asked Alec why if he was from Scotland was he on a plane from London?

"Well, I've not lived there for over a year, I've been working in a small town in Dorset. Just taking some time off, somewhere out of the way, I'd had enough of big cities but that was all I wanted when I first moved there, to get back to civilization but once I got used to it, well, let's just say I had no reason to go back. Never found anywhere permanent to live, just a hotel and who knows where I'm going back to, where I just came from or move on."

"Haven't you anyone to go back to, at all?" Rose asked, concerned. She had family and friends to go back to when she got established and got an idea if they were going to open a Torchwood there or not.

Alec shook his head, refusing to talk about it so they finished their meals and retrieved their luggage, Alec still playing his part in helping Rose up to her room which was conveniently on the same floor as his, two doors down and they said goodnight. That was the last he thought he was going to see of her apart from maybe seeing her at breakfast or dinner or maybe ask if he could take her out somewhere other than the hotel before he left. Women didn't usually ask him out, well rarely, if they'd had a few drinks but never actually turned up or left early, even when he was the one doing the asking. He still couldn't believe he had managed to sit next to this woman on a plane for several hours without her making an excuse at the first chance to get away from him. She hadn't refused his help every time he'd offered so far but there was no point in pushing his luck.

He was just opening his door when she called after him asking if she would see him at breakfast. He said maybe and said goodnight again. He unpacked and thought he could do with a drink, it was a way of winding down after his journey, he'd got beyond tired, so he made his way downstairs, not wanting any of the drinks in the room, he really wanted a cold light beer. The hotel owner was behind the small bar and asked what she could get him to drink. She poured him out a drink and it was then he realised he was in for trouble as she kept him talking, asking if he had any idea how long he was actually staying as he had booked a month initially, then asking what he was intending to do, suggesting he went to this and that place and all he had wanted was a quiet drink. He politely nodded now and then and then excused himself and sat at an empty table but soon found the woman had followed him, pretending to be wiping tables and collecting empty glasses and as she got closer to his table, she started talking to him again.

"So, since you're going to be here a while, maybe I can point you in the right direction of the local nightlife, unless of course you plan on spending your evenings here, which you're most welcome to do, I don't mind. It's just,well, if you're looking for company, not many people come in here, just the residents and guests and well, me of course. I'd be happy to keep you company."

He knew he was doomed and he'd just got there. At least Becca had waited a while but only because she was probably otherwise occupied. He took a risk and hoped the blonde, Rose, would play along and not say anything. This woman chatting him up was definitely nowhere near his type, he didn't go in for flirty women and he'd made a big mistake in asking Becca in the first place now he thought about it but she had flirted with him, this one however was something entirely different, looking for a casual thing and he wasn't up for that.

"Yes, I think we'll be looking at some of the local nightlife once we get settled, thanks for the suggestions. I'm sure Rose will be wanting to go out every night, she's a bit of a night person although where she gets the energy, I don't know and she has come over here to work and I've come over to…" he stopped, thinking he'd really got himself into this now, why hadn't he kept his mouth closed? "write a book on the most spectacular coastlines comparing Broadchurch in Dorset and Gracepoint, they're both strikingly similar in appearance. I'll be taking lots of photos, well, it's mainly a photographic book." Where did he get that one from? he was thinking, still it was a rather good cover story even if he did say so himself and he was rather pleased with it and was now going to stick to it and tell Rose the same story if she asked. He might even actually do it, he knew someone in Glasgow that might even publish it and it would give him something to do.

The woman looked disappointed, thinking maybe she could at least get to spend one night with him, well maybe two if he was lucky but no more. "Oh, I didn't realise you and the woman you arrived with were together, you made separate reservations, at different times."

Now he had put his big feet in it up to his knees. "Yes, well, we did book separately," not knowing if she had booked before or after he had. "I wasn't sure if I'd be able to join her, I was working in Broadchurch, didn't know if I could get the time I needed off, you know how it is?" he asked hopefully.

The woman nodded and just said, "Well, you're both here now" and went back to the bar, giving him a 'why didn't you say something before I made a complete idiot of myself asking if you wanted to go to bed with me' look.

Alec was just hoping he could apologise to Rose for dragging her into it before anything was said to her about it, he would have to wake early in the morning and catch her before she came downstairs but he had only just met her and she had only mentioned a few things about herself, she could have been with that man at the airport but they had only hugged goodbye, not kissed so maybe he was her brother or something. Anyway, he would at least owe her dinner if she agreed to go along with it and if she didn't she might at least agree not to deny anything. He was asking rather a lot but it had given him an idea as to what he could do with his time over here.

He went back up to his room after finishing his drink and thought about knocking on her door but she may have already been asleep after the long journey and not wanting to be caught standing outside trying to determine if she was still awake, he went into his room to get a shower and get some sleep and set his alarm, hoping he would get downstairs early enough to ask this woman he met a few hours ago a really huge favour.

He crawled into bed, thinking maybe it wasn't going to be too bad here after all and if he could get Rose to play along, even if it was just in public, it would make it interesting to say the least.


	3. Rose agrees to come to Alec's rescue

Alec's alarm went off and he got up without delay, wanting to get things cleared up with Rose before she ventured downstairs but he didn't want to be seen waiting outside her door, so he planned to stand at the bottom of the stairs pretending he was waiting for her then take her to one side and ask her for her help. She would probably either find it extremely funny or slap his face at such a suggestion in which case, it would make it realistic and make everyone think they had broken up and he would be back to square one but he would get out of this stupid idea he had come up with last night. What the hell was he thinking, coming up with such a half brained idea like that? As if someone like her would hang around with him, Rose was probably way out of his league.

Putting his jeans and a casual blue shirt on, he went down and waited, first checking she wasn't already in the dining room. He caught sight of her coming around to the top of the stairs and started up towards her, meeting her just as she was about to descend. He took her arm and led her back around the corner again so no-one would hear and she was surprised to find him holding her arm and tried to move his hand but he held onto her and put his finger to his lips and said "Sshh"

"What are you doing?" she asked indignantly, in a low voice.

"I need you to do me a favour, a really big favour and if you do, I'll buy you dinner anywhere you want and you'll never have to speak to me again."

"Well it must be a really big favour then and why the secrecy? Couldn't you wait for me to come downstairs?"

"No, because I did something really stupid last night and I need your help to get out of it."

"Right, so what stupid thing did you go and do then that needs my help?"

"I might just have told the hotel owner or at least gave the impression to her that you were my girlfriend."

"What? Why did you do that? Yeah, I'd say that was pretty stupid as far as stupid things go. Thanks. So how are you going to get me out of that one?"

"Well, we have two choices or maybe three, if you agree, that's why I need your help."

"You sound just like and old friend of mine, always had an answer but never the right one. Go on then, you may as well tell me and if and that's a very big 'if', it's good, I may just agree but it's dinner or a slap, depending on if I think it's amusing or not but be quick, I'm hungry, I hardly ate yesterday."

Alec already had a plan and was hoping her answer wasn't going to be the slap but at least it would get him out of it, a slap on the face in public with her telling him to get lost wouldn't be so bad.

"Right, that hotel owner, what's her name, tried to chat me up last night and sort of suggested she wanted to spend some time with me, in my room, well you know what for." Rose sniggered, Alec glared at her. "Well, she's really not my type and she probably only wanted a one night stand and I'm not interested so I sort of said you were my girlfriend while she was telling me about the local night life, like she was suggesting I took her out somewhere so I said, we, meaning you and I would probably check it out and sort of suggested that you like to go out." Rose was sniggering again, he thought that was a good sign.

"So, what plan have you come up with to get you out of it then, that involves me, do I get a choice?"

He had to agree. "Ok, your choice, you go along with it, just when we're in the hotel, sit with me, come down to breakfast and so on so she sees us together." Rose weighed it up and told him to go on. "Or, have a big blazing row in the dining room or reception where you get to slap me and tell me to get lost and then totally ignore me, then I'll have to fend for myself or you can still slap me and then make up when you come back in tonight." He could see her eyes lighting up at the last two, thinking at least she was going to help him out.

"Ok, can we talk about this over breakfast, I promise I won't give you away, then I'll think about it while I'm eating."

"Thanks and if you're going to slap me, at least don't give me any warning so I can be genuinely surprised. Shall we go to breakfast?"

He held out his arm and she took it and they walked downstairs together and Alec really pushed his luck as they passed reception and he put his arm around her waist to allow her into the dining room and she actually smiled at him and put her arm around him as they walked to a table. Alec held a chair out for her and hoped he had an audience.

It looked like Rose was going the whole hog by talking to Alec and laughing. He said he would find somewhere nice for them to go that evening then all she had to do was choose and if she never spoke to him outside the hotel then fine or never spoke to him at all, he said it would serve him right but he also said he was sorry for getting her into this. Rose took pity on him but didn't want to give him an easy ride so she decided what she would do.

She leaned over the table and said quietly, "Right, we'll play it this way, you tell me exactly what you said last night and tell me what you told her about yourself, then I'll get up and slap you, you come out after me and stop in front of reception and I'll slap you again for effect then when I come back in tonight, you be waiting for me with a big bunch of flowers and some chocolates and we kiss and make up in front of her. Deal? I have to go meet the Police Chief at eleven this morning, then I'm going to have a look around so if I come back around say four, you be sat in the reception area with your peace offerings, that way, she'll think you're expecting me to come back. I suppose you'll tell her I've done it before?"

Alec thought about it. "So I get two slaps and I have to buy you flowers and chocolates?" Rose nodded. Well at least she hadn't turned him down and it was his own stupid fault. "Deal but don't give me any warning and you will make up? Just a hug and a kiss on the cheek will do and you'll pretend to be my girlfriend while we're here?"

Rose agreed so he told her what he'd said about writing a book, how he'd said she liked to go out and about how they had booked separately and she agreed to go along, telling him what to expect and play the game. They had already finished breakfast so now was as good a time as any. Rose got up suddenly and pushed her chair back, loudly, that got some attention from the few remaining guests, who turned around plus the waitress who had just about reached reception.

"You, liar," Rose shouted. "You said we were going to spend the day together before I started work and now you're going to get started on your book? Alec, you really are a selfish pig sometimes. What was all that 'oh this going to be a great working holiday' garbage. Tell you what, forget about it, come back when you get a little less selfish, like never" and she got up and slapped his face, picked up her purse and started walking out as Alec got up after her and caught up with her just in view of reception.

"Rose, Sweetheart, we will spend time together, I just need to make a start, you know I have a deadline, I'll make it up to you, we have the weekends together. Come on Rose, please, be a little reasonable."

"Reasonable, you want me to be reasonable. I come all this way, spend hours on a plane where you hardly speak to me because you're writing stupid notes for your book and you practically ignore me, then you can't find our luggage at the airport after you got us lost and we nearly miss the bus, you're the one who's not being reasonable."

Rose turned to the hotel owner, who she had discovered was called Gemma and was thinking she may or may not take her side in this and was waiting for Alec to make his move but Alec turned towards her also and said, "I bet she doesn't think I'm not being reasonable, do you? What was your name?"

"Oh you mean you don't already know her name? And where were you last night when you said you were coming to my room after you'd unpacked and you never turned up? I waited for you, after that long flight, not being able to, well you know, not been able to and I would have thought you wouldn't be able to wait for much longer, after that bus ride as well and that you would be knocking my room door down."

Alec looked towards Gemma and Rose pretended she noticed and cared. "Oh, I might have known you'd be downstairs flirting with another English woman. Do you know he has this 'thing' for English women, how do you think he got me? And his last girlfriend, she was English too and you always prefer blondes, don't you Alec, blonde and English, preferably from London, he's really got this thing if you're blonde and from London, don't you Alec?"

Poor Alec was wishing he'd never started this but she was good and it would probably do the trick, hell, he almost believed it himself. Gemma was going off him he hoped and was just thinking he'd got away with the second slap when his face stung again as Rose slapped him again.

"Well tell you what, go and find yourself another blonde Londoner to play with" and she stormed out, looking in Gemma's direction.

Alec thought she really meant it, she deserved an award for that performance, or did she actually mean it? He looked at Gemma who just turned away. Well that worked then, at least she wasn't offering to console him or offer any advice. "Oh, she'll be back, she can't resist me, she's got a thing for Scottish men with beards and where is she going to find one of those around here? She'll cool off, she'll be all over me when she gets back. She'll probably keep me waiting or she might go check into her new job early just to get her own back on me. Flowers and chocolates always get me back on her good side."

He smiled to himself when he went back to his room and wished he had got her mobile number. He got his camera out of his shoulder bag, glad he'd bought one and grabbed his jacket and went back downstairs. Gemma wasn't even around, if she still had been interested in him she would have been waiting for him. He followed the signs for the beach and couldn't believe the contrast between this town and Broadchurch. The cliffs looked almost identical but the beach was totally different. He started taking photos of the cliffs and the beach, someone might ask to see them and if he really did write this book they would come in useful after all. He walked along the beach and came to the headland and climbed up on the grassed area and sat down. It was a completely different view to the one in Broadchurch.

He walked back the way he had come and found his way off the beach after taking more photos and found a café and ordered some lunch and wondered what sort of flowers and chocolates to buy for Rose to make up for being an idiot and getting her to put on the performance earlier. He had to laugh, she had been really good, quite convincing and was glad the slaps weren't for real, well he was hoping they weren't, he wouldn't wish to get one for real but he was hoping the making up was going to be better and pretending she was his girlfriend wouldn't be too bad, after all, he didn't want to get into any awkward situations and complicate things by getting a real girlfriend, not if he wasn't staying but that's what he had said about Broadchurch.

It was already two and Rose had said she would be back around four so he wandered around the shops, found a nice restaurant and made a reservation for seven thirty and found a florist, choosing a mixed bunch of flowers, asking advice of what to give a woman to say you were sorry, the florist giving him a sympathetic smile, he was glad she didn't ask what he was supposed to have done. Then he went into another shop and bought some expensive looking chocolates, hoping it would all look good to finish this little charade but then he thought, if she was to decide to play the part of his girlfriend, this might become a regular occurrence and wondered what he had opened himself up for. Would she take advantage of it? Maybe not, she was going to be out most of the day anyway, she had said so.

He hadn't really told her what he actually did but he was on holiday, he had only declared himself at customs, there was no need to let anyone else know, besides, it wasn't like he was going to be working but he had thought that when he got to Broadchurch, thought it was going to be a boring town until something had happened. Better not dwell on it, it was tempting fate. It was three thirty so he made his way back to the hotel just as Gemma was returning to the desk. She never said anything when he took a seat in the bar facing the door and ordered a cold drink, putting the flowers and chocolates on a seat beside him but she was glaring at him, probably hoping they were for her, he'd thought.

Just before Rose came back however, Gemma decided to walk over to him and asked if he was hoping to make up with his girlfriend. He said he was, they were her favourite flowers and he'd bought her the most expensive chocolates he could find and he said he would appreciate it if she didn't come in and find him talking to her. She took the hint and was just at another table when Rose walked in and Alec got up, picking up the flowers and chocolates and walked towards her, hoping Gemma was watching since he had given her an idea of what was to come. Now for the execution of his plan and was hoping it would all work out but what had Rose decided to do? Accept his apology and keep up the pretence or never speak to him again?

"Rose, Sweetheart, I've been waiting for you, where have you been? I'm sorry, I really am, I was a selfish idiot and you know I love you, please Rose, please don't leave me. Look, I've got you your favourite flowers and these chocolates were the best in the store and I've booked a table at a nice restaurant and did I tell you how sorry I am? I've been miserable all day, thinking you would never talk to me again, please say you'll forgive me?" Alec thought he had put on a performance equal to hers this morning.

Rose looked at him for a moment as though she was deciding whether to forgive him or not and now some of the other patrons were watching to see if the two were going to make up, including Gemma, an elderly couple, a man with a beard and a younger man and Rose looked around the room, probably wishing there wasn't an audience and decided she was going to better her performance of earlier and seeing he had just put a good one on, not to let him outdo hers.


	4. Rose forgives Alec for getting her into his mess

As Alec stood in the doorway to the bar, flowers in one hand and chocolates in the other, Rose closed the distance between them and went up to him, smelling the flowers and looking at the box of chocolates, which looked expensive to her. After all, he did say he would also take her out to dinner so it might be worth her while and maybe she could string him along and get more chocolates out of him and the odd dinner date. She looked at him as he held the flowers out to her and as she took them, put her other arm around him and kissed his cheek, whispering, she would make this look good and he owed her big time.

"Alec, I'm sorry too, oh, you know these are my favourite flowers and those chocolates look really nice. Do you want to go to my room and share them and maybe something else? These flowers need to be put in some water so don't hang around and then we can make up."

Alec was kind of hoping for something a bit more spectacular than that but it would have to do. She wasn't finished though as she put the flowers down, took the chocolates and put them down, flung her arms around him and planted a sloppy kiss on his lips, a real one that Alec hadn't expected and he was being held firmly in place by her arms and instinctively, his arms went around hers as they both got a little carried away to the sound of clapping in the background.

Alec let her go, picked up the flowers and handed them to her then picked up the chocolates and they walked out arm in arm, a big smile on his face. They were out of sight when he handed her the chocolates and as soon as they were upstairs, Alec escorted Rose to her door to make it look good if anyone had followed them and thanked her for going along with it.

"Well, thanks for that, you really got me out of a mess and if you'll allow me, I'd really like to take you out to dinner tonight. Can I call for you at seven? I made a reservation for seven thirty."

"Wow, you really meant that? Most men never keep their promises. You really didn't have to but I suppose it will look good and if we're not seen going out, you may end up with the same problem. Ok, I'll go along on one condition."

Alec was willing to go to any lengths to make up for his stupidity. "Just name it and you only have to be seen with me at dinner, you don't have to come for breakfast at the same time except maybe Sundays if that's what you're going to ask."

"Actually I was going to say don't expect me to kiss you like that every time, that was a one off special so don't get any ideas. Next time it will be a peck on the cheek if anyone's around. Oh, and don't think you can get me drunk and try anything, I know how to look after myself."

"I don't doubt it, you working in a police station, what exactly do you do there?"

"I'll tell you over dinner, you're supposed to be my boyfriend after all," she laughed. "See you at seven then." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and added, "Better get used to that I suppose." She smiled and went into her room.

Alec was a little taken aback, especially the kiss in front of everyone, he'd never been kissed like that since before he'd first met his ex wife, he could get used to that. Now he had established a cover for him being there and a girlfriend, he could relax and enjoy his holiday and he might get to spend some time with Rose at the weekend, if she was serious but she may have other plans, she only had to be seen going out of the hotel with him, not spend all day with him. Still, it wouldn't be too bad.

ooooooooo{silversurfer60}ooooooooo

Rose had quite a productive day, nosing around the Gracepoint Police Department. She hadn't supposed to have started work until next week but had spent a little time getting to know some of the staff there and being shown her desk. She had to keep up the pretence of her being appointed their new public liaison officer, not quite what she was used to but at a pinch, she could get by. What was possibly going to happen in a small seaside town like this one? There again, she had read about that horrible murder of a young boy in that small town in Dorset so anything could happen really.

She was really worried about what she had let herself in for now, agreeing to play the part of her travelling companion's girlfriend after the idiot had got himself almost entangled with the hotel owner on his first night there but it may have it's advantages. She wasn't there looking for a boyfriend, she still had too many sleepless nights pining after the Doctor and this Alec Hardy did look kind of like him, just a tiny bit, she'd noticed but the scruffy beard had been a bit much, especially as she'd had to kiss him to get him out of his mess. It hadn't been that bad she supposed and it sort of made up for her being totally rude on the plane coming over and gripping his hand then having the nerve to fall asleep on his arm so she thought now they were even. She was even getting a free dinner on him, plus the chocolates and flowers. She could try slapping him again when she wanted more!

So she got ready after putting the flowers into a vase and decided what to wear and supposed it was compensation for having to pretend to make up with him. There was also something else very familiar about him as well as him looking like her Doctor but she couldn't think what it was. While she had been at the police department, she had heard people talking about a detective who was vacation and was going to get a shock when she found out a new one was starting the following day from out of town and had got the job she was meant to have. Rose was hoping she would be around for that, it sounded like there would be fun.

Then she wondered if Alec Hardy was going to be that detective? No, don't be stupid, she told herself. If he was, he would have said, wouldn't he? Not pretend to be writing a book. She would have to find out exactly what it was he did for a living. She had some room to talk though, pretending to be a liaison officer when all the time she was there purely to see if it was worthwhile Torchwood sending a team over. Maybe Alec Hardy was just pretending to be writing a book and doing some investigating of his own.

ooooooooo{silversurfer60}ooooooooo

Just before seven, Alec made sure he had what he needed with him and went to knock on Rose's door. She answered promptly and he noticed she had put the flowers he had bought her in a vase. He had to admit he was quite looking forward to taking her out, she looked amazing as he'd only seen her in jeans yesterday and a more conservative look earlier. She was wearing a green v-neck dress with a white jacket and black shoes. He asked if she had enjoyed the chocolates.

"Oh, I've been saving them, didn't want to spoil my appetite. I'm going to get my money's worth out of you. I told you that you owe me big time so I hope you're willing to pay the price for your freedom."

"That almost sounds like blackmail, it's Miss Tyler, isn't it? I heard you give your name when we arrived yesterday. I'm Alec Hardy, by the way and I'm not really a travel writer, well not yet although I may consider it."

They reached the stairs and went quietly down and remembered to hold hands as they were going out of the door and he was surprised she forgot to let go until they were halfway down the street. Over dinner he told Rose who he really was and that he had decided instead of going back and staying in Broadchurch, he was thinking about moving somewhere else if he could get a transfer and that he was using all his accumulated leave up so he had to make his mind up before he went back to the UK. Then he asked Rose about herself and asked her exactly what she did in the police. He was quite surprised to learn she had quite a specialist job, liaison was not one of his talents, he barely communicated with the rest of the department he had just been working with and on seeing the job the liaison officer had there he didn't envy them.

Rose asked him what had made him decide to travel all that way if the coast looked the same. She had been right about him not really being a writer after all but he definitely wasn't the new detective they were expecting at the police department the next day.

"Well, I actually read about it after I had booked, it was just a coincidence really but it gave me an idea what to say when asked why I had come here. Plus it gave me the cover story and it will give me something to do. I just wanted to get away and have some peace and quiet. Had a lot of trouble recently where I was and well, it's nice to have some time off."

"Wow, I thought you had actually come for a holiday but I can see it's more than that. You want to get away but you don't want to stop working. I thought that was just me." Rose laughed. "I volunteered to come here after my sort of boyfriend went away. When I say sort of boyfriend, we were just good friends but I always wanted more but never said anything to him until it was too late."

"It might not be too late, you could always contact him."

"No, it was a long time ago now, he's probably forgotten me or he's still in the middle of nowhere doing research."

"I thought the man at the airport was your boyfriend?" Alec was hoping he wasn't anyway.

"No, he just works with me, he was just seeing me off," Rose laughed. She thought it amusing that Alec Hardy was actually interested.

They left the restaurant after a few drinks and walked back down the street again. Rose said they had better walk in hand in hand in case Gemma was still around but she told him not to get carried away and she would slap him if he tried anything. Alec thought that was fair enough, she was helping him out. When they got inside, he asked her if she wanted another drink and Rose, not wanting to go to bed just yet, decided to play along. Besides, he had put on a performance equal to hers earlier and she wasn't going to outdone.

"Rose, Sweetheart, would you like another drink before we go to our rooms?" Alec asked, taking her hand and leading her to a table in the corner of the bar, which was still about half full.

Gemma was scowling behind the bar, probably hoping he had ditched the blonde woman. Rose had already spotted her and was going to make this look good. "Mmm, yes, I'd love another drink but don't go thinking you're going to get me drunk because you know what I'm like when I've had a few drinks," she replied, putting her arm around his slim waist and bumping him with her hip, then grabbing his hand to the table they were walking towards. Then for good measure she added, "Oh and Alec, I hope you haven't forgotten you have last night to make up for." With that, she pretended to dive into her purse, something that Alec thought she was well practised with considering how much time she had spent doing it on the plane yesterday.

He brought a couple of drinks over, a non-alcoholic one for him but Rose looked like she was enjoying herself and probably would slap him if he did try something so keeping sober wasn't really an option, it was a necessity to avoid her wrath. Still, it seemed like she had forgiven him for dragging her into his mess and now the women would give him a wide berth if they thought he was with her. He just hoped Rose hadn't come looking to find a boyfriend while she was here or she would have to ditch him – again.

They sat talking for a while until Rose said she was tired and asked him to take her to bed, which raised more than a few eyebrows from the remaining patrons of the bar, then she giggled as she realised what she had said, nudged him and said he knew what she meant and maybe she shouldn't have had that last drink after all.

"Mmm, you're not going to take advantage of me are you Alec?" she asked, as he helped her up and out of the bar. "'cos if you're going to take advantage of me I wouldn't mind."

She'd really had too much to drink, Alec could tell she wasn't putting on an act. She'd had two after their meal and a glass of wine with the meal itself, as he had done but he'd had no more, he was still getting over his operation and had to drink moderately but he couldn't stop her from drinking what she wanted, she wasn't really his girlfriend. So he put his arm in hers and helped her out of the bar and towards the stairs and Rose, making sure Gemma saw her, turned to him and planted another kiss firmly on his lips. Alec prayed she wouldn't give the game away, with having too much to drink but she didn't, she just giggled again and told him to take her upstairs and grabbed his hand.

Once outside her door, she struggled to find her key, which Alec thought was a first for her, not being able to find something in her purse and she finally fished out a yale lock key, one that certainly didn't fit the hotel room lock, to which she muttered something about she wouldn't be needing that one anymore, the Doctor had gone away and left her. Alec just thought it was the effect of the drinks and left it at that. After finding the key that actually fitted the hotel room door, Alec opened it for her and she dragged him inside.


	5. Alec can't believe his luck

Alec swore he wasn't going to take advantage of her, she had helped him out and didn't expect her to play the part so well but maybe she didn't realise what she was doing, dragging him into her room like that but when she took her jacket off and flung it on the chair then kicked her shoes off, he wondered if she was merely teasing him. Just like one minute she was going to be all 'oh everyone thinks I'm your girlfriend so I'm going to take this seriously' and the next he would get a slap on the face for his troubles and get kicked out permanently with her saying she was vulnerable after having too much to drink. Just great and if he didn't try to take advantage of her she would think there was something wrong with him.

She was walking back towards him and then flung her arms around his neck. "Alec, I meant it you know, I want you to take me to bed," she said as she reached for the zip of her dress, unsuccessfully and huffed, turning around and saying, "would you?" to him.

He knew he shouldn't, this would lead to all kinds of complications and she would hate him tomorrow and they really would have a bust up in front of Gemma. He had to be tactful and let her think she was completely in control and hoped she would fall asleep before anything happened. He was good at finding things out, that's what he did so he could talk Rose out of making a big mistake. It wasn't that he didn't want to, of course he did, she was very attractive and given the right circumstances he wouldn't have hesitated, he'd got women drunk before and taken advantage of them but Rose was different, there was something about her. While he was weighing the pros and cons of taking advantage of her, he found himself unzipping her dress and before he knew it, the dress was on the floor and she was stood with her back to him in her strapless black lacy bra and black matching panties that were almost see through. Not that he was taking notice of course as she turned around, put her arms around him again and kissed him.

What was he supposed to do? Was she just carrying over their little charade from earlier or did she mean it?

"Erm, Rose, did you really mean it when you said you shouldn't have had that extra drink downstairs?" he asked, trying not to make it sound like he wasn't interested.

"Mmm, not really, I can hold my drinks you know." She really could, her Torchwood training came in useful and she'd had her anti-alcohol shot that the Torchwood team got as standard every three months just before she had left, it didn't do to let your enemy get you drunk and you talked about your mission or you gave secrets away with however you happened to spend the night with which was why she had also had her birth control shot, not that she had been planning on being in a position to have to put either to the test but she thought Alec was kind of cute – and lonely.

Alec was lonely, no-one had bothered him in Broadchurch – well except Becca and he'd hardly been the pick of the crop at the time, he must have been really more desperate than she was seeing she turned him down – he was on death's doorstep at the time so he supposed he'd deserved being turned down and hadn't dared to ask her again. The whole town probably knew about it.

Rose had begun unbuttoning his shirt while he had been contemplating if she was teasing him or not, this didn't feel like getting teased, her stood in her sexy black underwear, unbuttoning his shirt plus now she was kissing his chest as she unbuttoned every single one and it was definitely turning him on. What Alec didn't know was that Rose had been doing some serious thinking, that and what with her now pretending to be his girlfriend, she decided she may as well play the part for real. There was a tactical side to it all, she had figured he seemed a decent enough man, well mannered, respectable and available, very available and she could do a lot worse and it would keep the locals away from her, what with her being English, she would stick out a mile and get all the local creeps interested in her so if she was with Alec, they would leave her alone.

Two can play at that game, she had thought during their evening out. It had been a rather pleasant evening, he had been very attentive but she had kept her real reason for being there very much to herself, no point in revealing it, he was only going to be there a month or so, she was going to be there about the same so there was no harm in it, was there? He had given her the idea in the first place, him putting his foot in his mouth and blurting out she was his girlfriend so it could work both ways. Well if she was going to be his girlfriend, he was going to get the full treatment. She just hoped when the time came to say goodbye he wouldn't create a fuss. Besides 4 – 6 weeks was enough to have a boyfriend, especially in her line of work.

Rose had not had a real boyfriend since being in this universe, she had not been interested in picking up where she left off with Mickey, he was now just a friend and sometimes a bit over-protective of her but he had respected her wishes and not tried to win her back. Apart from that, there had been no-one in her life, the life she had dedicated to getting back to The Doctor but even if it did happen one day, would he want her back? She had not given up but all possibilities had been exhausted and it was now going to take a miracle. She had not determined if miracles really did happen in this universe. Maybe Alec Hardy was just what she needed to take her mind off things and he was kind of cute in a rough scruffy beard kind of way.

She didn't intended to let things get too serious anyway, just a bit of kissing and playing around, she would stop him before things went too far, maybe he didn't want that anyway but it would be nice to be wanted, just for a while, she needed someone to relax with especially now she was going to be doing that job for real, she had only done to odd few assignments properly for Torchwood and she was only supposed to be working part-time when needed, it wasn't like she had to sit at a desk all day, they would call her when they needed her so Alec would be a distraction, she could spend some time with him.

Before she realized, she had run out of shirt buttons to unfasten and he was standing there, gazing down on her, waiting to see what she was going to do next. She smiled at him and ran her tongue around her lips and looked back at him, he really was cute, so she unfastened the shirt cuffs and slipped the shirt off of his shoulders as he then decided to take advantage of her exposed neck and he began kissing it.

Inbetween the kisses, Alec managed to ask her if she was sure she wanted to do this. "Rose, it's not that I'm complaining or anything but this is a complete turnaround from earlier. Are you sure you haven't had too much to drink?"

"Oh Alec, I hardly drank anything, I know exactly what I'm doing. You really are quite cute you know and to tell you the truth, it's going to be kind of difficult to only pretend to be your girlfriend and I'm sorry about earlier, when I warned you not to try anything. You don't object do you? Having me as your real girlfriend? You didn't leave anyone behind when you came here did you?"

"No, I didn't leave anyone behind when I came here, I just don't understand why you changed your mind but since you did, I don't object, just as long as you are sure about this. I didn't ask you out just to have a one night stand with you, I could have done that with Gemma but there is one thing you should know."

Rose looked at him, running her fingers across the hairs on his chest and asked him what it was. He had decided to be honest with her, tell her about his recent operation and that he wasn't supposed to be undertaking any strenuous activities just yet. He thought Rose was going to be somewhat disappointed but she wasn't, she seemed relieved.

"So, you're ok with that? I mean I'm ok now, I just can't overdo things yet, that's mainly why I'm here, to recover, to get away from things and you probably already know about that murder investigation I was in charge of so I won't bore you with all the details. It took everything out of me, I only went to Broadchurch to get away from another bad case I'd been working on and I walked right into it. As soon as it was all over, they kicked me out on medical grounds until I got better. Now I'm deciding if it's worthwhile going back or start somewhere new. Anyway, enough about me, just tell me the real reason you're here, don't forget, I'm the real police. Are you really on an exchange program? It just doesn't seem the sort of thing there would be an exchange program for and why here?"

Rose thought he really was good at his job so she had to stop him asking her any more questions, fast. "That's quite enough talking for one night, DI Hardy, so stop it with the questions and kiss me." She put her arms around his neck and he leaned down and was just about to kiss her.

"This is for real, you're not just doing it for show now are you?"

With that, he got his answer when Rose showed him it was all for real as she grabbed him and ran her fingers through his hair and showed off her snogging skills which thankfully she hadn't forgotten. Alec never thought their evening out would end up like this, not in a million years and it was the chance of a lifetime, kissing someone like Rose and he intended to enjoy it, for as long as it lasted. He didn't want to make another mistake like he had done with his ex-wife and that was one hell of a mistake so a fairly short term relationship was maybe what he needed, he didn't need a one night stand but a few weeks? It would make his stay there more enjoyable and Rose seemed more than willing to provide him with her company.

Rose broke the kiss and whispered that she was ok with him and she would go easy on him. "This is for real Alec, I really do like you and I want to get to know you. I can go easy on you, if that's what worried about. It's been a while for me so maybe it's best we take it slowly, if you want to?"

"Rose, this isn't quite like I expected our evening out finishing off but it's more than a pleasant way of ending it. I am really sorry about dragging you into that situation with Gemma but I really didn't like her and I hate being rude to women like that. Any other reason and I would have been rude, but I get few enough offers as it is and she was not my type. Let's agree on one thing can we?"

Rose evaluated him. Running her fingers playfully across his chest, one arm still around his neck so her breasts, still partly covered by her bra, were pressing closely to him. Alec decided it was time to rid her of the offending article and see what she looked like under it, he'd been trying hard not to imagine that all evening and not been very successful so now he no longer needed to imagine any longer as he reached around her back and unfastened the clasp and her bra fell away from her back, sliding down and away from her and slipping between their two bodies until if fell on the floor.

He held her closer and they started kissing again, Alec trying to slip his tongue into her mouth as she responded and let him, then they deepened the kiss and Alec spun them around until they reached the bed. Quickly kicking off his shoes, he lay Rose on the bed and began to unfasten his trousers, it hadn't been that long that he'd forgotten what to do as Rose was helping him and they fell to the floor. Rose was kneeling on the bed as he stood beside it, fumbling to take his socks off and Rose giggling, her arms now around his slim waist as he stood upright again, pulling him down with her as she fell back onto the bed. Then she reached for the waistband of his shorts but he stopped her.

"Aw, what did you do that for?" asked a confused Rose, trying to fight his hand as she tried again.

"Because we are supposed to be taking this slowly and that's what we're going to do, I just want to snog the life out of you right now, Miss Tyler, so hush and let's get back to it."

Rose just managed to mumble a 'fine with me' as they crawled together and Alec managed to pull back the covers and Rose somehow managed to end up on top. She sat astride him, her chest heaving from the tumbling into the bed and Alec could stand it no longer as he reached up to them and touched them, pulling himself up and began to kiss them as Rose put her arms around his neck and began kissing his neck. They fell back down again as Alec twisted her around, Rose was moaning at the way he touched her, her arms reaching up to his shoulder blades and her fingers digging into them.

Satisfied he had given her his full attention, he began to move down to her tummy, kissing her just above the waistband of her black lacy panties that didn't hide much and smoothing his hand over the fine material. Rose had moved one hand onto his waist and was inching her fingers to hover on the waistband of his shorts, like they were both daring each other to make the first move. It was stalemate though as they both kept their hands still and Alec looked up from what he was doing and smiled at her. His eyes were saying a lot more, Rose knew he wanted to do more but maybe he was afraid because he'd just had his operation and wasn't yet fully over it. That or he was still remembering his life before he'd had it and still hadn't got used to the idea he could go back to doing the things he wanted to again. She could give him time if he needed it.

They moved again as Rose prompted him to let her on top again, she began kissing across his chest when she suddenly noticed a scar directly over his heart. She carefully avoided it but Alec took her face in his hands and told her it was ok.

"Rose, I'm ok, I won't come apart on you. I'm fine now."

Their lips met again and he pulled her down on top of him, his hand now moving to her bum, daring to make the first move and making his way down the waistband of her panties. Rose sighed as he got further down, trying to get her hand underneath him to do the same to him. He arched up slightly to let her hand slip under him as she fumbled to put her hand down the waistband of his shorts, then he moved quickly and she moved her hand further down. Now Alec's other hand was down her panties, one hand moving onto her hips, trying to pull them down one-handed, one side at a time eventually edging them down over both hips until they hardly covered anything. Rose began to do the same with his shorts, edging them down inch by inch until they were over his hips as skin made contact with skin. Rose let out another sigh as he finally pulled hers down, Alec now waiting to see if she did the same with his.


	6. Meeting Alec's double

He was disappointed that Rose didn't pull his shorts down any further but wasn't really surprised, considering he was the one that had said to take things slowly in the first place. He could still feel her. She was lying on top of him, her hand still under him and she had nuzzled herself on his chest and moving her hips against his as his hands moved over her bum. She looked up and smiled at him as if to say that was all he was getting tonight, until he decided if he was up to the task.

They fell asleep, Rose half draped over him as he discovered when he awoke and trying to get her to move over so he could go to the bathroom but she was just as difficult to wake in bed as she was on the plane. He just managed to squeeze out but not before he felt his shorts move and he had pressed himself against her. Rose moved slightly at the sensation, she probably thought she was just imagining it but he saw a smile on her face. He pulled his shorts back up as he got out of bed, just in time to hear her murmur a soft 'mmm'.

For the next few days, they went down to breakfast together holding hands, much to Gemma's dismay and Rose accompanied Alec around the area, taking more photos and walking along the beach. Rose had been in contact with the police department and found out the new detective's arrival had been put back a week, not that it was really any of her concern. No further progress was made in the bedroom, Alec still kept his shorts on but Rose was waiting to see if he said anything about it, she didn't want to presume anything, she would wait for him to make that move but it was pleasant enough for the two of them after Rose allowed him to touch her on their third night together after he had asked her.

They even spent the weekend together, Alec had rented a car and they drove down the coast. Monday morning, Rose had to report to the Police Station at nine so they had an early breakfast and she asked Alec what he was going to do. He said he might go and visit the public library and do some research about the area, see if he could get some inspiration about actually putting a book together now he had loads of photos but he said if he did actually write it, he couldn't do it until he got back since he had very few photos of Broadchurch. That would mean going back so maybe that idea was out but he wasn't going to tell anyone. Maybe he would go back to Broadchurch though, there was nowhere else to go really and it was more home than the place he had been in prior to his re-assignment there.

He kissed Rose goodbye in the hotel lobby and watched her walk down the street. He had offered to drive her but it was only a few blocks away and she had insisted on walking. She had agreed to let him pick her up and take her to lunch and she would find out if she was supposed to spend the whole day there. She didn't think she had to but it was only her first day, she would have to familiarise herself with department procedures. She had remembered there was a new detective joined the department today and wondered what he would be like and laughed as she thought back over her initial guess that it was going to be Alec.

What greeted her though when she walked in took her aback as she stood in the office doorway because seated in the office that had been empty last week when she had been in to meet the chief was Alec. Rose thought she was seeing things. Had he driven and got there before her? Why had he not said anything? Most importantly, what was he doing there, sitting behind a desk? They had shared a bed for the last week and things were definitely hotting up now she had let him touch her and maybe tonight she would finally let him take his shorts off but now, how could she consider having sex with him if he was going to be working there alongside her? Was that the reason she had been told that their newest detective was starting a week late, because he had been with her?

She hadn't realised she was staring and he was staring back and coming towards her through the open door. Only he wasn't coming directly at her, he didn't even seem to notice her as he walked past and to the break area. Rose was supposed to go to her desk before reporting to the chief but thought some coffee was due before she started work. Right then, if he was going to pretend he didn't know her at work fine, he wouldn't get any sex tonight until he told her what was going on and she had been seriously thinking about it. With her ID badge firmly clipped onto her jacket, she walked across to the break area when he had just finished pouring some coffee, which she thought was strange because she had only seen him drink tea. He saw her as he turned around so she stood looking at him.

"Can I help you?" he asked, in an American accent. "Only this is the second time you've stared at me. Have I got two heads or something? I know I'm new around here but if you had been here when the introductions were being given earlier you would have known who I was. I see you're a civilian then." He indicated to her badge and she realised she was still staring. "Are you going to stare at me all day or are you going to get some work done. Rose is it? That's an unusual name. You must be the exchange public liaison officer I was told about when I had my briefing with the chief on my arrival. I'm Emmett Carver."

Rose still hadn't found her voice. No-one was taking any notice of the two new arrivals, they were all busy bustling around. As she stood there wondering just how to broach the subject of him either having two names or this was his twin brother – Alec had told her he was an only child. Finally she managed to get her words out and decided this was a wind-up and he was either having a joke at her and the Gracepoint Police Department's expense or he was keeping it as a surprise to her and was wanting her to play along. Maybe friendships amongst work colleagues were frowned upon and he didn't want anyone to know about them but why the false name? Since no-one was still taking any notice she went for it.

She walked right up to him and in a low voice said "Ok, you can cut the act with me Alec, just tell me what you're doing here and why you didn't tell me? I thought I was your girlfriend?"

He looked indignantly at her and said, "Excuse me, who's Alec exactly? I told you my name and I've never met you before, let alone you being my girlfriend so I'll thank you not to spread that around the office, Miss Tyler. Now haven't you got any work to do?"

With that he walked past her back into his office and Rose looked around. No-one was looking her way so she walked to her desk and sat down. There were some papers on her desk of open cases she should read through but she was worried now. She had shared a bed with Alec for a week and now he was doing this to her. Not only pretending to be someone else but denying what they had. Well he could forget it, when they got back to the hotel, she really would have a bust up with him and no amount of flowers, chocolates and sex would make up for it. As far as she was concerned, she would leave him to Gemma.

The chief came to his office door and motioned Rose to his office. Once inside, he ran through again what was expected of her and asked if she had any questions. She saw this as a chance to find out exactly what Alec was up to and if the chief really knew who he was. Maybe she had been wrong, maybe he was under cover to root out a dirty cop of something equally wrong in the department.

"Actually Sir, I do have one question. Since I wasn't here earlier, I just met the new detective, do I report directly to him or to you Sir?"

"Yes Rose, you do report to Detective Carver, he's in charge and he answers only to me. Detective Miller will be back tomorrow, even she will have to report to him and despite what everyone says, he is here to stay. No-one seems to like him yet, perhaps you'll get on better with him since you're only here on a temporary basis and a civilian. I saw you talking with him earlier, try not to get on his bad side and you'll get along fine with him. The only reason no-one likes him is because he's an outsider but you're different, you're not replacing anyone so they'll be ok with you. It's him you should feel sorry for, he's here for the duration. Well don't let me keep you. When you've caught up with our latest cases, you can take the rest of the day off. No need for you to hang around here, we'll call you when your services are needed but you can call in every morning first thing if you've got nothing else to do. Any more questions?"

"Just one Sir, I know it's none of my business but, well, Detective Carver, he's not Scottish is he? It's just he looks like someone I know." She wasn't about to say she thought he was her boyfriend that she had kissed goodbye only an hour or so ago.

"Not as far as I know, he's from a big city somewhere, doesn't say much about it but he was working a big case back there. Can't say too much. I shouldn't even be telling you but since you're not actually in the department, no harm. If you have any problems, you can see Detective Miller when she's back tomorrow. She'll be more responsive to you than Carver but there again, she'll not be happy he got her job."

The chief got up and Rose went back to her desk, deciding to go to the ladies room first, having to pass by Carver's office but then she had an idea. Maybe it wasn't Alec after all, maybe it was just a fluke he happened to look like him. Alec had said he had just chosen this place at random and the chief didn't seem to know much about Carver and they say everyone has a double, well technically a triplet since the Doctor looked like both of them, or they looked like him and as if life here wasn't complicated enough as people she knew in the other universe either didn't exist here or they were completely different personalities. She had looked up several famous people from her world to find they hadn't quite made it here. Actually, make that quadruplets since they all looked like her favourite actor who had made it quite big in this world and she followed his TV career and never missed anything he was in.

She went into the break area where she would hear anyone's phone ringing, even Carver's since his door was open and he had his head buried in his computer screen. He even had those cute rimless glasses that Alec had. She was still convinced it was Alec putting on an act but there was one sure way of finding out. Going into the furthest corner after pouring out some coffee and searching for some milk, apparently people there drank coffee black, something she hated, she got her mobile out and dialled Alec's number. She heard only the ringing through her mobile, nothing come from Carver's office and she breathed a sigh of relief when Alec's gorgeous Scottish brogue answered with an 'Hello Sweetheart'.

"Alec, am I glad to hear your voice, you'll never guess what happened when I got here?"

"You got there and found you missed me and wanted to come back here to go back to bed with me?" he asked hopefully. She had only been gone a short time and he missed her already. So much for it being a temporary arrangement, she was growing on him. More than he cared to admit.

"Well that and something else. Are we still meeting for lunch because I can't tell you on the phone but it is something really strange. Are you sure you don't have a brother or a cousin out here?"

"Rose, what are you talking about, I told you I had no relatives, well not that I'm close to anyway. Why do you ask?"

Rose thought about it, Carver was still taking no notice but as she looked at him, his hair did seem a different colour, more chestnut than Alec's was. "Because I'm staring right now at your double, that's why and it's quite unnerving. I could have sworn when I walked in this morning that it was you."

"Well I hope you didn't kiss him then if you thought he was me. You can tell me all about it over lunch, unless he's waiting outside and you go off with the wrong man," Alec said jokingly. Well Rose hoped he was joking anyway. "Meet you at one then? We can have lunch and a walk on the beach. I heard about a little cove just up from the main beach area, we can hide away and do some more of your brilliant snogging, unless you'd rather do something else? OK?"

Rose said ok and rang off, walking back to her desk, still hardly believing Alec's double was staring out at her just a few feet away. She was just glad she didn't have to stay there all day. It was embarrassing to have to stare at your boyfriend's twin all day especially when he had just practically asked you to go back to bed with him and staring at his double only made you feel that was exactly what you wanted to do. She probably wouldn't have to have much contact with Emmett Carver anyway and now she knew, she wasn't likely to get the two of them mixed up. She was relieved though that her initial reaction had faded because if there was one thing she was sure of, she definitely wanted more of Alec Hardy.

Rose managed to escape the detective's glare by looking through the files on her desk and not looking up. She couldn't look at his face all morning when it wasn't Alec she was looking at. When she got back to the hotel though, she was going to tell Alec she needed a few minutes to herself and look up this Emmett Carver and if she didn't find anything in a general search, she would use her Torchwood access. She wondered though if he could be a distant relative of Alec's that he didn't know about, he'd said that he had none he was close to, was it possible he had one he didn't know about, a long lost cousin perhaps? It was worth investigating but there again, the chances of Alec looking like the Doctor were astronomical but three of them looking like him?

She couldn't wait to get out and meet Alec, just to make sure she wasn't imagining all this and once outside, she got into Alec's rental car, kissed him and they drove out of the town in search of an out of the way inn or café. Over lunch, she told him about his double and Alec smiled, slightly amused at the thought of having a twin. He didn't yet know about the Doctor since Rose hadn't deemed it necessary to tell him yet but she was involved with Alec now, even though he was only meant to be a distraction, someone to spend her time there with, it was growing into something more and she thought Alec had felt it too, they had got closer over the past few nights and she was still considering whether to have sex with him, when he felt ready for it but he hadn't asked her yet, she was ready when he was.

They parked near the beach and found the cove Alec was talking about and since there was no-one around, sat down on a rock and started snogging, the sea in the background and Rose could hear the waves when her heart wasn't pounding. He was getting better at it, Rose had told him and he seemed pleased with himself so maybe now was the right time to be discussing the next stage of their relationship.

"Mmm, Alec," she managed between kisses and battling his tongue. "Maybe we need to talk about things, about us? I mean if you're ready to take it a stage further, then so am I, if you feel ok about it that is. I don't want to rush you if you're not over your operation yet but you won't know unless we try. Do you want to try?"

Alec looked at her, he thought she was really beautiful and far too young for him, he had a feeling he wouldn't be able to keep up with her, be up to her standards but if she was willing to try, even if it was only for a few weeks but did this mean she wanted to take it beyond the time they had left there? He still didn't know if he was going back to Broadchurch or not, maybe he could go back with Rose, wherever she came from, London by the sound of it, if she would have him or would she think he was too old for her and would end all this when she got on a plane back home?


	7. Moving on and telling the truth

"Rose, I'm ready when you are, I feel fine and I'd really like the chance to prove it to you, if you want, tonight. You could try going easy on me though, just to be sure I'm ready, you wouldn't want to have to take me to the local hospital and explain why my pacemaker failed, would you?" he smiled. "There's just one thing though, do you think I'm too old for you? I mean, I have to be at least ten years older than you, it doesn't bother you?" He kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her.

"No Alec, I don't think you're too old for me, if you can keep up with me and you're not doing too bad a job so far. That sort of boyfriend I told you about, well he was a lot older than me, older than you but I didn't care, I adored him and I left it too late to tell him or do anything about it, he was gone before I had a chance to tell him how I felt about him and he'll never know. We were just good friends, that was all and I wanted more and I couldn't tell him. You're here Alec, please don't feel that you're too old for me, age makes no difference. My step-dad is older than my mother, my last real boyfriend was older than me and before you ask, no, I haven't got a jealous ex, we just work together now, he has someone else." Well at least she thought he had, he had been interested in a young newly qualified MD that had just joined the team and by now they might be together, who knows?

"Did I tell you I was divorced? That I have a fifteen year old daughter and neither of them want to know me?" He could tell by the look on her face he had failed to mention that part of his life. Well, he'd blown any chances of getting to have any kind of sex with her now. He was surprised when she put her arms around him and kissed him, whispering it was ok.

"We both have our pasts, Alec, everyone moves on eventually, I never expected someone like you wouldn't have been married or at least had a girlfriend before." She smiled at him and said they should be getting back to the hotel to change for dinner and she said she needed a bit of time on her own to sort some things out.

What she actually planned to do was look up Detective Carver and see if he was any relation to Alec and also put in a call to her step-dad and ask if he was ok if she told Alec who she really was, not just she was the heiress to the Vitex corporation, that was bad enough but to tell him where she came from and about Torchwood. She was a bit surprised he didn't already know who she was but only a handful of people knew exactly where her mother, Mickey Smith and she came from and how they got there, the second time for Mickey and herself and more importantly, who her sort of boyfriend was.

Alec left her at her hotel room door, giving her a couple of hours to do what she needed and to get changed. He said he needed to do a few things anyway so he said he would call back for her after kissing her several times, much to the annoyance of an elderly couple who had just arrived on their floor and thought Alec was old enough to know better. Rose found very little about Emmett Carver, not on the official Police website anyway so to avoid wasting time, she logged onto the Torchwood secure network and tried again. She was surprised at the results. Just out of interest, she looked up Alec, she had resisted the temptation to do so earlier but since his revelation about being married before, with a teenage daughter, she wanted to be prepared for any other little surprises. She got plenty when she read the last case he solved had nearly killed him twice.

She placed a conference call to her step-dad, she had got used to actually calling him dad, even before her younger brother had been born, for all intents and purposes, there was no secrets between them, this version of her dad had spent more time with her than her real one and although she would never forget him, the Pete Tyler of this world was her dad now and he was her boss. After saying hello and asking about her mum and brother, she got down to what she wanted to ask him and he agreed but to tell Alec as little as possible about their operations until he'd had chance to speak to Alec himself and he was personally going to check him out. Rose warned him that Alec's past was not important to her and she knew his career had been tarnished lately but it was all sorted and about his current health.

That over with, Rose got changed and with still almost an hour before Alec was to call for her, she found herself not being able to wait and went to knock on his door. She had to admire the way he opened the door, wrapped only in a towel around his slim waist and trying to dry his hair, so much so she just wanted to jump on him and shag him to death right there. He'd also kind of had a shave, he had trimmed his scruffy beard so it looked like there was only a couple of days growth and it made him look even sexier, if he could possibly look any sexier than he already did. He quickly pulled her inside his room, flung the towel he'd been drying his hair with onto the back of the chair and began kissing her. Rose flung her arms around him and enjoyed the feeling that there was only a towel between him and her as she reached up to him. Maybe tonight was going to be the night after all.

Alec somehow managed to retain his towel, Rose wanted to save him for later, when they had both had a few drinks but only just as she pulled him over to the bed, ruffling her hands through his hair. She was debating whether to tell him about herself before they actually got too far but was afraid it would spoil the mood. The worse that could happen would be he would tell her to get out and get the first plane back home. After dinner, they had a few drinks in the bar, Rose wanted to go somewhere else but they didn't really know anywhere apart from a few restaurants. Rose didn't like being on show in front of Gemma but Alec seemed to like it and he did pay extra attention to her so she forgave him for making them stay in. She didn't make a scene though like the first night they had spent in the bar but she was aware the couple from their floor were watching them from the opposite side of the room so she snuggled closer to Alec as he put his arm around her back.

Rose whispered something in his ear, she wanted to go upstairs and when he hesitated, she whispered she really wanted him to take her to bed this time, he finished his drink and they left arm in arm. They went into Alec's room, it was nearer as they kissed at the top of the stairs, barely making it inside and as he closed the door, Rose had kicked her shoes off, thrown her jacket over the other chair and Alec was already unzipping her dress. As promised, Rose went easy on him, taking the lead and doing all the physical work at first, Alec just relaxed and enjoyed himself but he soon discovered he was fitter than either he or Rose thought he actually was as he turned her onto her back and began to move on her, slowly at first, adjusting themselves as Rose guided him but nature took over as they made soft moaning sounds as they both came together at the same time, Rose finding herself lost in what she thought was a dream, Alec was surprised he had surpassed himself, never thinking this would ever be possible again after the nightmare that had been his illness.

Now he was well again and was satisfying Rose beyond her wildest imagination as they both fell into an embrace afterwards, Rose felt light headed and giggly, Alec watching the look on her face as he smiled as she wriggled beneath him.

"So what was that about me keeping up with you, eh? I think it's you that will find you can't keep up with me, Miss Tyler. Why does your name sound so familiar? I was thinking about you earlier in the shower, well thinking about you being in the shower with me actually but I've heard your name before from somewhere. You're not related to the Peter Tyler are you? Please say you aren't Rose, I don't think I could cope with that, you being famous."

He looked down at her, she was disappointed he had found out who she was so there was no point in hiding it, she had been going to tell him, just not right after they had been having proper sex for the first time.

"OK, you got me, yes, I'm that Rose Tyler, Peter Tyler is my step-dad, he married my mum about eight years ago and I have a younger brother. I planned on telling you, I was just waiting for the right time. Are you mad at me for not telling you? Does it make any difference to how you feel about me? My life is public record, you're in the police, you can check me out. My step-dad wants to talk to you anyway, I called him earlier to tell him we were involved with each other and before you say something like do I have to tell him about my lovelife, it wasn't just about that. I have to be careful because of who I am, you have a teenage daughter, if she had come home with a boyfriend when you were around, you'd use all your resources to check him out but with me, it's just more complicated because of my position and my background. He's very protective of me but you don't have anything to worry about, you're a respectable member of society, a policeman so please Alec, don't take it the wrong way."

He was looking at her, now propped up on one elbow and absent-mindedly circling one of her breasts with his finger as he listened to her. He was fair minded, yes, if the situation had arisen, he would have checked out any boy who had dared to ask his daughter out and he could see there would be more at stake with Rose being who she was. She was the man's step-daughter, she hadn't become who she was out of choice or birth, Rose's mother had chosen to marry one of Britain's most wealthy and influential men and despite his own personal feelings about the man, he couldn't take it out on Rose, she was innocent in all this. He knew very well who Peter Tyler was and he didn't approve of who he was, he wasn't just the head of Vitex, he had been involved all that time ago with Lumic and everyone knew what he had done. He couldn't blame Rose, she would only have been young at the time and wouldn't even have known Tyler or Lumic back then.

Rose was holding out her arms to him expectantly. How could he take it out on her? Rose was beautiful, intelligent and very sexy and she had a career, a very commendable career and she obviously didn't rely on her name to make a living, she was independent and she'd tried to hide her true identity, not flaunt it. He had to face it, she was still the same woman who had annoyed the hell out of him on the long plane journey over here, the same woman who he had roped into being his girlfriend on false pretences to get his revenge for that nightmare journey and she was the same woman he had just made love to because despite anything else, she was the same woman he was falling in love with and although he had initially reckoned they would part once his vacation was over, he had been hoping she would let him stick around.

He leaned back down pressing his hairy chest against her where he had been touching and putting his hand on her hip, placed his lips next to hers and whispered, "It's ok Rose, I understand. Of course I would do the same but you could have given me some warning about this. You tell him I'm willing to talk with him, if that's what you want but why are you really here? You don't have to work and why in Gracepoint? Is there anything else you want to tell me while you're at it or can we go back to having more sex? Don't tell me you've had enough already, can't you keep up with me now?"

Rose looked relieved he had taken it all so well but she had yet to drop more bombshells on him but it would wait until tomorrow, it was best her step-dad told him rather than it coming from her anyway and he had taken who she was fairly well enough, he was a decent man, finding out she was from another universe and how she had got there probably wouldn't phase him and if he knew who her step-dad was, he would know Peter Tyler always told the truth and he would also know about those horrible events all those years ago, the events that had started out involving only this universe, not hers. She knew Alec would listen and make his own judgement but until then, she was content in the knowledge at least he knew who she was, where she came from would wait.

"I'll show you if I can keep up with you or not, Alec Hardy, s'my turn to be on top now, just don't lag behind." With that, she flipped him over and sat astride him, running her finger down his chest to his navel then leaned over and kissed it.

When they woke the next morning, Rose said she had to check in with the police department then when she came back, she would place a conference call to London and Alec could speak to Pete and told Alec to expect more than he bargained for when he'd asked why she was there. Arriving at the police station, she found it in chaos, people running around answering phones and she was thrown right into the middle of it as someone shouted for her to grab her desk phone. On the walk down she had seen traffic stopped at an intersection but thought nothing of it for that time of day. Rose asked what she was supposed to say on answering the phone on her desk and saw a tall blonde woman who had just walked in with Detective Carver follow him into his office and could hear raised voices.

Someone next to her just said to acknowledge the call and take their number and someone would call them back and before she had the chance to ask what was going on, everyone went silent as Detective Carver came back out of his office and called for everyone's attention. He waited until Rose had put down the phone she had been in the middle of answering and a few others finished their calls but phones were still ringing so the detective spoke up.

Rose felt for her chair and fell backwards onto it when she learned what had happened, a young boy found on a beach early that morning and everyone was in shock. Rose heard her name mentioned but didn't respond until the woman detective came over and stood in front of her to ask her to join them in Carver's office. She got up, totally unaware people were staring at her, the new girl, being taken into Carver's office like she was the one responsible. She wasn't of course, it was just no-one had bothered to check exactly why Rose was there in the first place.

The woman detective, who introduced herself as Detective Miller asked Rose if she was ok. "I know we haven't been properly introduced and this is only your second day but we need your services Rose, we need you to meet the family of the boy and do your job. I know you weren't expecting this but neither were we. Things like this just don't happen here, everyone is in shock, the phones are ringing off the hook and we don't have enough staff to cope with it but you need to do the job you came here to do, you're the only one qualified to do this. We can request your counterpart comes back but it will take a few days to arrange, then he has to get back but until then, you're all we've got. Can we count on you?"

Rose nodded and looked at the two detectives. How could this happen? Sure, she had liaised with the police when Torchwood needed to smooth things over and she'd had to explain to confused residents as to why Torchwood were in the area doing some investigating but a family who had just lost a young boy? She needed Alec, now, this was his territory not hers, surely he had heard by now what was going on and despite recovering from heart surgery, he would want to find out what was going on because as far as she knew, this was too much of a coincidence to be happening, Alec being in Gracepoint when a murder had been committed. She needed to be with him when he found out, he didn't need this. She had left her mobile in her desk drawer along with her purse, he might be trying to call her.


	8. Déjà vu for Alec as he meets Carver

Detective Carver was sat at his desk, shaking his head. He clearly didn't think Rose was up to the task and truthfully, neither did she but she was determined to try to help for now, that was what she did, that was what the Doctor loved most about her, her ability to soothe people and talk to them and to be sympathetic. He was leaving all the talking to his colleague, probably because of their staring contest yesterday, the winner not being declared, it had been a tie but he clearly wasn't happy about this. Rose felt sorry for him, this was what it must have been like for Alec when he had arrived in Broadchurch and been confronted with the same situation. She really should get the two of them together, Alec could help him but not with the case.

Detective Miller asked her to gather her things and wait for her, she would take her out to the boy's house after she had finished talking to Detective Carver. Rose nodded and asked if she had time to make a personal call to her boyfriend who had been expecting her back so he wouldn't be worried about her. She was told it was ok so she got her things and went to the ladies room where it was quiet. She didn't quite know how to explain this to Alec because she was bound by police ethics not to divulge any information about what was going on. All she would be able to tell him was that her services were required on a case. The call to Pete would have to wait.

She dialled Alec's number but there was no answer, she just hoped he wasn't doing something stupid and doing his own investigating if he had already found out. Maybe he was in the shower, no, he'd had one yesterday evening when she had wanted to pull the towel off his waist and jump on him or maybe since she hadn't answered when he'd called, there were two missed calls from him, he was thinking she was already busy. Maybe he'd not heard yet but surely the whole town was talking by now? She put her phone on silent but set to vibrate and finished in the ladies room and went back to her desk. Detective Miller was talking to someone else when Carver came out of his office, a furious look on his face and demanded to know who had released the name of the boy. Miller raised her hand slowly and Carver demanded they went to his office. Rose could tell the two of them didn't see eye to eye but went back to answering her phone and was relieved that Alec had got her office number and had been put through.

"What's going on Rose? Everyone is talking about someone being found on the beach. Tell me it's not true, please Rose, it can't be. If it is, I don't want you involved, come back to the hotel right now Rose, you don't have to do your job, it's not what you came here for really is it? I know there's something more to you so don't try to deny it, you're covering for something and I'm going to find out what it is by asking your stepfather but I want you to get your things and meet me outside in ten minutes or I'm coming in to get you."

He sounded like he meant it, she had never heard him talk like that or ordering her around and wasn't sure if she liked it, coming from him. Sure, as her boss Pete ordered her around but Alec? She had only known him just over a week and now he was acting like a police detective on her and telling her not to do the job she was meant to do. How did he know there was something she wasn't telling him about her trip here? She had been right, he was a very intelligent man, she wouldn't be able to fool him much longer anyway but for now, she had a job to do until she was relieved of her duties. Pete could pull some strings and get her counterpart back faster than the police department could. Now she had to face Alec.

"I have to do my job Alec, I'm sorry and I can't tell you anything, you know that. I'd be in serious trouble if I told you but that doesn't alter the fact I'm the only one here qualified. It's what I do Alec, I've been trained for it." She knew people nearby would be able to hear anything she said so she had to be extra careful. As far as anyone else was concerned, she was just telling her boyfriend she couldn't say anything, no-one knew who or what he was.

Alec knew he wasn't going to win this one but he was determined to get some answers. "OK, if you won't tell me, I'm coming down to find out for myself. Who's in charge down there? The one you told me about yesterday, the one you thought was me? What's his name Rose?"

"Please Alec, don't get involved, you know what that other case did to you. The detective in charge is called Carver but he's not in a very good mood right now, he's just had an argument with his sergeant over something and he was fuming a few minutes ago. They're still arguing in his office about it. Please don't come down here, I'm being taken soon to the victim's family, I have to try to help them, they're sending for the other liaison officer to return but until then, I'll have to do it. I'll explain later why, I can't tell you on the phone."

"Don't you understand Rose, I can help. Just say yes or no if there are people listening. It's a young boy, isn't it?" Rose had to say yes and she knew he wouldn't keep out of it now. She had to prevent him getting involved somehow and not make it look like it was her doing.

That was enough for him. He said goodbye and put his phone away and went down to his car and when he saw the traffic, decided it would be quicker walking. He followed the sign for the police station and saw a crowd of reporters outside who seemed intent on trying to take photos through the window. It was all flashing back to him now, what it had been like not that long ago, back in Broadchurch and it pained him to think another family and another detectives lives were going to become hell for them. His own demons still haunted him, well they had until he had met Rose, she had a calming quality about her and he had felt all his anger and pain melt away after the first night they had spent together. When he had first got the idea of Rose pretending to be his girlfriend, it wasn't meant to last beyond their stay there but now, now he wanted it permanently. He had fallen in love with her. Making his way through the crowd of reporters, he walked up to the desk and asked to see Detective Carver and showed them his police ID.

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Meanwhile, Rose was still waiting for Miller to come out and take her out to the family and when the door to Carver's office finally opened, not that it had offered any privacy as the whole office had heard him shouting, Rose got up and tapped lightly and said "Excuse me Sir but there's something you need to know."

All she got in reply from Carver was "Not now Miss Tyler, Detective Miller will take you to meet the family and tell you what to expect."

Miller got up but Rose protested. She had to at least try to get them to listen and tell them about Alec. She addressed Miller rather than Carver, heeding the words the chief had given her last week. "You really need to hear what I have to say, ma'am because I know someone who may be able to help you."

Miller got up and closed the door and motioned for Rose to pull over a chair. Then she told Rose to speak up, they were busy and had a lot of work ahead of them. So Rose told them about Alec, how he was supposed to be on holiday and how he had been involved in a similar case in the UK and Carver actually paid attention to her.

"The thing is Sir, he did solve the case but at a cost, his own personal cost but I think he can help you, indirectly that is. He's my boyfriend now and I'm worried about him and I don't want him to get personally involved because he told me what happened to him. Maybe he could just offer you some advice as to how he worked it out who was responsible and you take all the credit? He didn't come here to work, he came to get away from what had happened." She left out the part about him almost dying and his operation, if Alec wanted them to know, then he should be the one to tell them, not her, he wouldn't thank her for ratting on him.

Carver picked a pen up from his desk and asked for his name. Rose told him and noted his reaction. "Yes, I heard about that case, you'd better look out Miller," he said, trying to look solemn but Rose could see a crack of a smile on his face. "So, he's here, in Gracepoint? Did you two come over here together?"

Rose shook her head. "No Sir, we actually met on the plane coming over and we got together when we both found out we were going to the same place. I think he may come here when he finds out what's happened." She didn't know he was already making his way in after stopping at the front desk and everyone was staring at him.

A tap came on Carver's door and he was told someone was asking for him at the front desk – Detective Inspector Alec Hardy.

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After Alec had shown his ID and said he was only over here on holiday when questioned if he had anything to do with the case that had just happened, the desk sergeant asked him to wait but he could feel everyone's eyes were on him, just how much alike was he supposed to look like Carver? Too much judging by everyone's reaction plus Carver was new so maybe they thought he was actually him. Rose had mistaken the two of them yesterday and she had just been in bed with him that very morning. He was told to go through after a few minutes and was not surprised everyone in the office he entered was staring at him, including his double, a tall blonde woman and Rose. The chief had looked out to see what was going on as everyone had stopped what they were doing and he saw Alec walking in and the three of them stood in Carver's office doorway, then he saw Alec stride across the floor making his way to Carver's office.

Alec held out his hand to Carver, giving him his name and showing his ID, Rose thought he so reminded her of the Doctor, who would stride up to someone casually and shove his physic paper in their face and she tried hard not to smile, thinking she should disappear – fast but Carver saw her trying to make her escape and wasn't about to let her off that easily.

"You, stay, Miller, meet the detective who solved that boy's murder in the UK last year." He motioned for Alec to sit on the sofa since they had now run out of chairs and Rose got up to go sit with him, thinking he needed some moral support.

Alec looked perfectly calm, considering the entire police department now thought they were twins or they were seeing double. He was slightly stunned to hear Carver refer to the other woman as Miller though, what were the chances of that? No, this was too much of a coincidence to be really happening and he knew he really shouldn't get involved but it was his nature, that was who he was, an investigator and a good one at that and maybe he could help in a small way. He didn't want to take the glory away from his double, he wouldn't have liked anyone taking the credit when he was solving his last case.

So Detective Carver did the introductions properly as the chief had just decided he wasn't going to be left out of this and was curious especially as he remembered that Rose had mentioned her boyfriend looked a bit like Carver when she had been in to see him yesterday morning but the chief soon left after being satisfied Alec's ID was in order and left it up to the three detectives to get on with things but he did tell Alec he would have to insist he didn't work directly on the case to which Alec had no objections, he didn't want the police chief to make enquiries about him and be told he was supposed to be on leave pending a complete physical exam on his return anyway so he was happy to stay out of it. It was just the fact that he could offer help to a fellow officer.

After Carver had filled Alec in on the case so far, he asked Miller to take Rose out to meet the family but only after she had been instructed not to reveal anything she was told by the family to Alec and to report to Detective Miller. On the way over to the boy's family home, Miller had a few questions of her own to ask Rose, including how come her boyfriend had chosen to come to Gracepoint and why he was so interested in the case?

Rose thought carefully before answering, it wasn't her place to speak for Alec, all she could tell Miller was that Alec had a tough time on the case he had solved and that he really was there for a rest and was compiling a photographic book about the town in Dorset and Gracepoint. She was hoping Miller had gone for the story and was saved from any further questioning by their arrival at the said house. Rose waited in the kitchen of the house while the detective spoke to the family and was called over and introduced. Miller explained Rose was specialised in these situations and would keep the family informed what was happening with the investigation but told them she was only temporary, that she was filling in for someone on leave, not wanting to divulge the fact that their own liaison officer was in England on an exchange programme and had warned Rose not to say anything.

Rose was happy enough to go along with that, she was planning on getting theirs back on the next available plane or zeppelin as soon as she could make the call to her step-dad and now her plans to tell Alec the rest of the story about herself was going to be put on hold until later. She wondered how Alec was getting on, coping with talking to his double, she could imagine it was like having a conversation with yourself in the mirror. She also wondered if Alec was as grumpy as Carver when he was at work but he seemed much too nice to be like that, well he had seemed so until he had sounded upset on the phone earlier. He had looked surprised when he had been told Miller's name, maybe he had worked with someone of the same name, he'd not talked much about it.

Come to think of it, maybe he was hiding just as much about his life as she was which was something they would have to address eventually if they were to continue their relationship beyond this what was now turning out to be a working holiday, for both of them and she was wanting it to continue now, beyond the duration she had originally planned because now it was real. She wasn't just using him to keep the local men away and she wasn't pretending any more, she had fallen in love with him.


	9. Alec keeps to the sidelines

Rose's relationship with Alec wasn't going to get in the way of her doing the job she had been asked to do. It had certainly been unexpected, the most she thought she might have to do was be a go-between if someone's pet or child had gone missing but a murder investigation? Still, her parents would be proud of her for even attempting such a feat and it would be a useful experience and a bigger task than she had previously anticipated when she had come here. She hadn't found any time at all to do her real work, that of determining if was worthwhile setting Torchwood up here. The location was ideal, a small town out of the way, very little happening, well up until today and it wasn't even lunchtime yet.

She was meant to be going to lunch with Alec but that would be impossible now and Miller hadn't told her what time she should leave or how she was getting back although she suspected the two detectives would be back out to visit, she just hoped Alec wouldn't tag along, the family were in a bad enough state as it was without coping with identical twin detectives who weren't actually related in any way, she herself was having a hard enough time getting her head around it. Miller was going to find it hard to tell the difference between them, they even dressed almost the same, Alec must have got changed before he had walked into the police station, he'd had jeans and a blue chequered shirt on earlier, open at the collar, just how she liked it, it saved unbuttoning it later and showed off his hairy chest that she loved to run her fingers across and roam down to kiss his navel… "Mmm, enough of that Rose Tyler," she told herself as she snapped back to reality and looked at the teenage girl sat opposite her who was offering her coffee.

Rose accepted a cup, asking for milk or cream and jokingly said they would have to get used to her weird English ways. She tried to make conversation with the girl who seemed reluctant to speak, glancing across at her mother all the time like asking her if she should talk to Rose or not. Rose tried to put them at ease and said anything they talked about was confidential, ordinary family talk did not get back to the Police detectives who were in charge of the case and only relevant subjects, anything they could remember would be acted upon.

Two hour later, Rose was hungry after having an early breakfast with Alec and asked if there was a store nearby where she could get something to eat from. The family took pity on her since she had been dumped there at short notice and was asked to join them for lunch, Rose said just this once, she would be prepared the next day. After that, they opened up a little, curious as to why someone from the UK was working with the local police but she was saved from having to answer that by the arrival of Detective Miller and who she hoped wasn't Alec. The only way she was going to be able to tell them apart now was their accents and Rose much preferred Alec's gorgeous Scottish one.

Rose was told she could leave at five and a patrol car would collect her but said she would rather be picked up by Alec and Miller agreed as long as he didn't get out of the car when he collected her. Their conversation about how she had ended up working there was soon forgotten, instead, she told them about her home in London and how much she was liking it in Gracepoint and of course, without mentioning what Alec actually did, about her Scottish boyfriend who was compiling a book of photos of the town's coastal area. She really hoped she would only have to spend another day or two there, the tension was mounting and she was clearly not wanted their despite their best efforts to convince her otherwise.

She had sent a text to Alec with the address and instructions from Miller not to get out of the car and was watching out of the window at two minutes to five, hoping he hadn't got lost. She saw him pull up outside and said goodbye to the family, not actually feeling she had achieved anything other than just being there, she had been in plenty of similar situations back in her own world where she had accompanied her mother to visit friends and relatives who had lost someone but it had never been a young boy or girl. Nothing she could hope to say would be enough and all she could do was show her support for this family in the only way she knew how, to listen.

Greeting Alec with a kiss on the cheek, knowing the family were probably watching her from the window, she hoped they wouldn't spot just how he happened to look like Carver or she would have some explaining to do the next day but she had talked about Alec during the afternoon so maybe she had convinced them he wasn't him if they did see him. Alec had decided he should take her somewhere other than the hotel for dinner so they went back to let Rose get changed and while he was waiting for her getting out of the shower, Rose having taken her laptop into Alec's room and placed a call to her step-dad and introduced them, she left them to talk. Taking her time, hoping Pete would have filled Alec in about Torchwood, she was undecided that if everything went well whether to tell him how she felt about him, she had let the Doctor go and now regretted it all the time she had been here so she would be a fool to let Alec go without telling him how she felt if he couldn't handle who she was.

Alec let her into his room, he was still talking with Pete and from the looks of things, they had hardly got started as he kissed her on the cheek before she actually got into view of the webcam. She soon found out otherwise as the two men continued their talk and Pete said he had told Alec about Torchwood but the rest was up to her. She couldn't believe he had left it to her to tell Alec where she had come from so she asked him if she told Alec, would he back her up. He said he would and to call him back tomorrow if she wanted Alec to have confirmation that everything she told him was true. When she ended the call, she looked at Alec and asked him where he wanted her to start. He said with the truth.

"Alec, I wasn't trying to hide anything from you, I just wasn't sure that Pete would approve of me telling you about Torchwood and now you know, it will make it easier to tell you the rest of it. How much did he tell you exactly?"

"I know now he had nothing to do with Lumic and the Cybermen, that it was all Lumic's doing, all those years when everyone, including me thought that Peter Tyler was involved with it but I know that's not the case now. He told me you and some friends of yours saved him that night, what you all did to save the population of London, then you disappeared, leaving one of your friends behind. He also told me the Cybermen all began disappearing and how he took over Torchwood. Then you came into the room so I'm waiting for you to tell me the rest, like where you came from the first time and how you could disappear for three years and re-appear, looking exactly the same, as he put it. Then there's your friend, the one who disappeared with you, that would have been your sort of boyfriend? Where is he Rose, why didn't he come back with you?"

She looked at him, she wanted to tell him to leave it, to go get something to eat and come back and try and finish telling him but she knew he wouldn't quit until he'd heard it all. "This is going to take some time. Do you want to eat first?" she asked.

Alec just stood there, shaking his head, his arms folded. His mannerisms were so like the Doctor's it was uncanny, the way he folded his arms, the way he had held out his ID earlier, putting his specs on and balancing them on his nose, no wonder she had been so attracted to him in the first place but her attraction to him was deeper than that, he was an honest man and he was lonely and he deserved to know the truth but maybe he would be just as lonely if he couldn't accept her and where she was from.

They sat down on the bed, Rose wanted to start kissing but he held her off. "No snogging until you've told me everything, Rose Tyler and don't forget, I interrogate people for a living so start talking and the quicker you tell me, the quicker we can go get something to eat and get back and do some snogging."

"OK, but snogging first then dinner, if you're still talking to me afterwards."

Alec agreed. "Why do you think I won't be talking to you after you've told me? What are you hiding? I was right about you not being here to work in the police department and do you know why?" Rose shook her head. "Because we don't do that, exchange personnel that aren't actually police officers and I know it was probably arranged by Torchwood and it was a good story, almost as good as mine but you weren't fooling me Rose, you may have fooled them, including Miller and Carver but not me. So, come on, the rest please."

For the next half hour Rose told him everything from where Pete had left off, why she had disappeared and where she had gone – back home. Alec listened attentively, hanging onto every word, never interrupting her apart from to ask questions because that's what he did, he asked questions and expected answers.

"So, Miss alternate universe, that's what it's all about? Let me ask you another question then. Would you have chosen to come back if you hadn't been rescued and brought back here?"

"I don't know because as far as we knew, this universe and all the others were sealed off, we got here by accident the first time and the second time, like I said, Pete rescued me and my mum. We owe him everything and the fact he chose to marry my mother was just the icing on the cake. He didn't have to, he could have just left us with some money and let us get on but he didn't. I think he believed he owed me for saving his life the first time I was here."

Alec leaned forward and put his arms around her and pulled her close, kissing her forehead. "Right, that's that and now I know, we can go get some dinner, have a drink and when we get back, you can snog the life out of me. There is just one thing I'm curious about though, if I look like Carver and he looks like me then there's this actor you like and you say we all look like this friend of yours in the universe you come from, where does it all end? Has everyone in the world got two or three other people who look exactly like them? I wonder if there's an Alec Hardy somewhere in your world then? I guess it's something we'll never know, will we and that's ok because the day we know everything, then we might as well give up."

Rose stared at him, she remembered the time the Doctor had said something similar when they had escape from Sanctuary Base One when she had asked him what he had found in the pit. The things Alec was saying and doing were uncanny, what were the chances of that? It made her sad though because she knew she was unique, there was no-one here who looked like her, Pete had done a search when she first arrived back but she didn't want to admit it to Alec.

Alec kept his word, they drove out of town and found a nice place, came back and had a few drinks and they talked, Alec asking more questions about the world she had come from after they got back and he seemed fine with it, he didn't question her sanity or that she had made up the entire story because he couldn't find a flaw in it. He couldn't argue about the Cybermen, he had known about them, not experienced them first hand, he had been one of the lucky ones, he hadn't been on the front line so to speak but he knew of Lumic, there had been talk he had gone mad and ordered everyone in the UK to wear those earpod things but he and senior officers hadn't worn them and when the news got out that London had been taken over by these metal creatures and Lumic had disappeared it had been assumed they had overthrown their creator. It had all been hushed up and he had lost interest after that, he'd had his own personal problems, his wife and young daughter and that had been ten years ago.

He also knew it was true about Rose herself, in reality she was much younger than she had told him she was, in her own world time had hardly passed but she had explained that time passed quicker in this world and although she had told him she was twenty eight here, she wasn't because years here were merely months where she came from but she had adjusted to the facts and Torchwood had covered them well, including her and her mother's life stories. He was secretly wishing they could re-invent him to erase the huge mistake he'd made, getting married but he didn't regret his daughter, even if she wouldn't talk to him, her mother had poisoned her mind with her lies. Maybe Rose could help him with that, she might be able to talk to her, being younger and Rose certainly had a gift in being able to cope with things because when he had told her earlier he didn't want her involved in this case, she had just gone out and done her job.

Rose was tired after being thrown into the lion's den and being left to fend for herself in a strange town and having to assure a distraught family everything possible was being done. She was falling asleep in Alec's arms after they had made love, for only the second time but they knew what they liked, knew how to please each other and had discovered new things about each other every night. Rose also knew which was her favourite way of draping herself over him to get the maximum benefit of being able to touch him. Alec had wanted her to sleep without wearing anything but Rose had insisted on wearing a long cami top just in case but it hardly covered her once he had moved her on him and they were both falling asleep with smiles on their faces although they never admitted it the next morning.

The next morning, Alec had unsuccessfully tried to persuade Rose not to go back to her job but she said she couldn't let the family down but she had time to place a call to Pete and told him what had happened and asked him to speed things up in getting the real liaison officer back and asked him when she called him back later, to show Alec the security footage from the night she and the Doctor were at the party in the mansion. Pete just had time to ask Rose if she had told Alec everything and when she said she had, he said it was the best thing she could do and asked her if she was in love with Alec, since he was the only person outside the family who knew her origins.

"Rose, if you love him, tell him, don't repeat your mistake and leave it until it's too late. You've had eight years of misery and now you look a lot happier than I've seen you since you've been here, apart from the wedding and Tony being born. I did notice when you called the other day but I saw the way you looked at Alec last night so don't waste time, don't put it off and if he loves you, you'll know."

"I do love him Dad, he's an amazing man and he's come through so much and I'm trying my hardest not to let him get involved in this murder, he told me what happened with the case he had to solve and the one he failed on and that was the one that almost destroyed him because he felt defeated and he was only exonerated in the public's eye after he came clean about it because he thought he was going to die. He doesn't talk much about it but I know it still pains him to know it remains unsolved. Can you get someone to look into it? See if anything was missed? I'll send you the details, he told me where it was and what had happened."

"If it helps, yes, don't forget who I play golf with every Tuesday afternoon, he owes me for letting him off a bad shot he made the other week. I'll see what I can do. Now when are you going to ring your mother? She keeps nagging me! Call me tonight and I'll show Alec the video and if he can cope with that, then you're halfway there. I might have some news for you later anyway, if I can call in a few favours. Just be yourself Rose, you can help that family, it's what you do and I'll get Jake to make arrangements to send their own specialist back."

Rose thanked him and sent her love to everyone and went to knock on Alec's door but it was already open and when she stepped in, he was nowhere to be seen. His mobile and keys were on the bedside table where he had left them last night after they had hardly been able to get through the door before pouncing on each other, the bathroom door was open so Rose looked in but he wasn't there. He wouldn't have gone downstairs without her or letting her know he was going to nor would he leave his door open or his keys and mobile. She didn't even know what he was wearing, he was only in his shorts with a big smirk on his face when he had kissed her as she left to get changed and she had told him there was a video he needed to see.


	10. Alec is on his own

After Rose had left his room to get changed and speak to her step-dad, Alec had a quick wash and shave and had just got dressed when a tap came on the door. He thought it was Rose that had been unable to stay away from him but it was a man at the door. Alec of course didn't recognise him but the man appeared to know him or think he did know him as Alec unceremoniously got shoved back through the door being called Carver. The man had a gun pointed at him and told him to stay quiet and Alec just stood there as the man looked around to make sure no-one else was in the room.

"Where's your girlfriend Carver? I know you have one, that blonde dame with the English accent, I saw the two of you enter the hotel last night so where is she?" The man shoved the gun into Alec's abdomen and he was just glad he'd not pointed it higher, at his heart.

"She's gone back to her room but listen, I'm not Carver so put the gun away and I'll show you my passport, I'm just a British citizen on holiday here with my girlfriend, I'm writing a book." He was glad his police ID was still in the bedside drawer, it wouldn't do to show this madman he was also a cop.

"Don't lie to me Carver, I know who you are and you're fooling no-one with that accent. Now get your jacket on and walk in front of me to the back stairs and don't try anything funny, I'll have you covered." The man motioned with the gun for Alec to open the door and waved him to go through it.

Alec couldn't think of anything else to do, except follow his training for these kinds of situations so he walked slowly towards the other set of stairs, not even passing by Rose's room but he'd glanced the man holding the gun on him hadn't quite closed the door properly and Rose would notice it and start raising questions after she found out he wasn't in his room, she would get worried and call Carver or Miller so as they made their way downstairs, Alec kept quiet knowing that antagonizing the man would only make things worse. Once outside, Alec was bundled into the back seat of a waiting car and once the doors were locked then the man turned around and produced a pair of handcuffs with one hand and held the gun in the other. Alec didn't dare try anything with a gun pointing at him so he was biding his time for the right opportunity as the man put one part of the handcuffs on Alec's right wrist and reached that arm over and fastened the other part to the door handle.

The man turned around again but as Alec was about to test how strong the handcuffs were he saw him looking in the rear-view mirror and decided against it. Now he was surveying the situation since the man no longer considered him a threat and the car began to move off but instead of going back past the hotel the car turned the corner. Alec had no idea where he was being taken, he didn't know the area and had barely made it to where Rose was yesterday using the satnav built into his rental car but he was taking note of the route. He just hoped Rose had got to his room by now and found out he wasn't there. She was clever, he knew she would notice things weren't right and get some help but he couldn't rely entirely on her but what worried him most was that he hadn't told her yet that he loved her.

Alec counted the minutes they had driven until the car came to a stop, it was around ten, good, it meant they were still fairly local and Carver would still be in charge but he and Miller still had a murder to solve so someone else would be assigned to finding him. Still, one good thing was they wouldn't have trouble with his description and the kidnapper had made one huge mistake, if he wanted Carver then he was out of luck because Carver was still very much at large but Alec knew now that even if the man did discover that he'd got the wrong person, Alec could identify him so he would keep him as a hostage or kill him and he looked too nervous to do that so he didn't think he was dealing with the murderer of the child that had been found, it was more likely this man had a personal grudge against Carver himself – either that or the death of the boy had been accidental and the man was panicking.

He really didn't know, he was just speculating as to who the man could possibly be. Carver hadn't been here long, about the same amount of time he had and he could see the man who was just about to unfasten the handcuffs had clearly mistaken him for Carver and had probably been following him. His wrist that had been fastened to the door handle was now free and the man had made a big mistake by putting the gun down on the seat next to him to fasten the other cuff to Alec's other wrist but should he risk punching the man with his now free hand? Would the man get to the gun before he had chance to grab it? In a split second Alec made his choice and lashed out with his fist, knocking the man backwards onto the steering wheel and Alec reached forward and grabbed the gun and held it to the man as he recovered from the blow.

"Now raise your hands and slowly get out of the car," Alec said to him, motioning to the driver's door.

The man unlocked the doors and with his hands raised got out, followed by Alec out of the back passenger door. "Now using only one hand, throw me the key to these cuffs then turn around and put your hands on your head." The man threw the key and did what Alec told him. Alec regarded the man as an amateur, there was no way this man knew what he had been up against and how he had thought he would get away with kidnapping him or Carver Alec had no idea, this man didn't have the guts to see anything through properly. He had bided his time and he had planned on this man making a mistake.

Once he had the other cuff undone, he told the man to put his hands behind his back and Alec fastened the cuffs, searching the man's pockets, he found a mobile phone and thankfully had memorised Rose's number.

"You know you actually made two very big mistakes apart from getting the wrong man that is. Firstly, I'm a British Police Detective and I really am on vacation here but I have enough powers to detain you for attempted kidnapping of a Police Officer but not only that, your other mistake was letting me see where you drove to and not putting my hands behind my back." Alec was rather pleased with himself but wasn't showing any emotion, he was more concerned with calling Rose but since he should call the local Police first to tell them to come and pick the man up, as much as he wanted to, the call to her would have to wait.

There was a small shed just to Alec's right and nudging the man in front of him, forced him into it and closed the door, finding something to jamb the door to then calmly dialled 911, remembering not to dial 999 and identified himself, telling the operator what had happened and asked for Detective Carver or Miller and was put through to Miller after he was assured they could track the mobile signal and help was on it's way.

After he spoke with Miller, who said Rose had come into the station and said he was missing and was sitting at her desk waiting for any news, he dialled Rose's number, hoping she would pick up an unknown number. He could have just got back in the car and driven off leaving the man locked up but he knew better than to leave the scene or he could have forced the man to drive them back but he might have lost control of the situation so locking the man up was his best option to wait for help.

Happy to hear her voice, he told her what had happened and Rose said she would come out to where he was but he persuaded her to wait at the station for him to come back but he knew she wouldn't. After hanging up, he sat on a nearby tree stump and waited, listening for any sirens until he could hear one in the distance. His only thought was seeing Rose again and all he wanted to do was hold her and tell her he loved her, he couldn't wait any longer to tell her how he felt and how it could all have easily turned sour when he'd grabbed the gun and he might never have seen her again. His job had its dangerous side to it and putting off telling Rose was no longer an option, he had to tell her right away, he knew situations could arise that would mean he could lose her forever and he didn't want to think any more about his life without her being in it.

As the sound of the siren got nearer, he could hear another one in the distance, he knew Rose would be in the car, nothing would be able to keep her waiting back at the station for him. A marked police car pulled up alongside the car he'd been brought there in and Alec surrendered the man's gun to a uniformed office and raised his hands but the other officer motioned for him to put them back down saying they knew who he was.

"He's in there, fastened up with the handcuffs he used to get me into the car to bring me here." Alec indicated to his shirt pocket and brought out the key and threw it to one of the officers.

Just then, a plain car pulled up, Miller was at the wheel and before she had cut the engine, Rose had leapt out and was heading for Alec as the remaining officer watched her fling her arms around him as Alec did the same to her. The man who had attempted to kidnap Alec was brought out and placed in the back of the squad car, just looking at Alec and probably feeling he'd made a total hash of the whole thing. Miller was speaking to the other officer, telling him to bring the man's car back as evidence and then she walked over to Alec and Rose, who wouldn't let go of him.

"So, Detective Inspector Hardy, you did quite a job there, do you often get kidnapped in mistake for someone else? Rose alerted us you had gone missing and we've had some officers out searching nearby buildings but we're stretched enough as it is, we're having to get people from nearby towns in to help in the murder investigation. How did you manage to turn the tables on him?"

"He's an amateur, it wasn't that difficult and since I'm from out of town, I figured he'd realise he'd got the wrong man once he saw Detective Carver walking around and go after him instead and that I wasn't the one he wanted. I don't know anyone here and he did say Carver's name several times."

Miller regarded him and once the squad car set off back and the man's car was secured by the remaining officer, Alec and Rose were finally pried apart and got into the back of Miller's car to return back to the Gracepoint Police Department. Alec still hadn't had chance to tell Rose he loved her but he didn't think words were really necessary, the way she had clung to him when she saw he was safe had said it all, he knew she loved him and on the way back into town, they held hands all the way, Miller glancing at the two of them through the mirror.

Once back at the station, Alec was led into a room to make his statement, Rose waited at her desk for him to come out and the man was charged with the attempted kidnapping of a Police Officer. Miller had told Alec he would probably need to testify in court and that his superiors back in England would have to be informed, which Alec wasn't happy with, so he had to come clean and tell Miller he'd been on medical leave prior to him coming here and that his return to full duty was pending a medical examination before he could be declared fit for duty. Miller said she would have to inform Carver of this but his testimony would still stand up in court because he hadn't been dismissed from all duties, he was just on leave and he had been the victim of a case of mistaken identity.

ooooooooo{silversurfer60}ooooooooo

When Rose had found out Alec was not downstairs and his Police ID was in his bedside drawer, she retrieved his keys, mobile and his ID and set off for the Police Station and went straight to Detective Miller's office and told her Alec was missing. Miller had asked if she was sure he hadn't just gone out without telling her but Rose said he wouldn't go out leaving his mobile, keys and ID then leave his door open. Miller seemed about to ask her how well she knew Alec, would he leave her to go off with someone else but when she had seen the look on Rose's face she had thought better of it. Instead, she issued a missing person alert to the front desk and went in to see Carver, telling Rose to wait in her office.

Rose knew there were not many officers to spare, there was a full scale murder investigation going on and Rose should have been out doing her job but how could she when Alec was missing? He was alone, he knew no-one here apart from her and she began to wonder what he would have done with his time if he'd not met her or made that stupid remark to Gemma about her being his girlfriend and she should have told him to get lost when he'd suggested she make it happen even when it was only meant to be for show but she had fallen in love with the man and now she might lose him without telling him she loved him.

Miller came back in and suggested Rose went back to work to take her mind off it but she said she was sorry, how could she work and not think about where Alec was? She said she was quitting her job, the other liaison officer would be back in a day or two anyway but Miller told her not to be hasty, just take the day off and go wait for Alec at their hotel. Rose said in that case, she would rather stay at her desk and wait for any news.

A while later, Miller came dashing out of her office and called Rose over, Alec had phoned in and a unit was on the way to get him, he'd been forcibly taken from the hotel and driven just outside town and someone had mistaken him for Detective Carver. Rose breathed a sigh of relief as Miller went into Carver's office to tell him just as her mobile rang, an unknown number but it had to be Alec, no-one else knew her number.

"Alec, are you ok? Detective Miller just told me what happened, I'm coming out to you if I can get a ride there."

Alec explained to her what had happened. "Rose, no stay there, I'll be back soon, I'm fine, really."

She saw Miller come out and said goodbye to him and asked if she could go with her to get Alec. Miller agreed since she saw Rose was worried and as they drove out, Rose hardly said a word. Rose was out of the car before it had even stopped and ran straight into Alec's arms and clung to him, dying to tell him she loved him and by the way he held onto her, she knew he loved her.


	11. All's Well...

Safely back at their hotel, they went straight to Rose's room and without getting fully undressed, fell onto the bed and kissed, Alec lying on top of Rose and tugging at her skirt and panties as Rose fumbled with the zip of his jeans and once freed of the items of clothing preventing them from being together, they made love like they had never done before.

Rose felt like waves were crashing over her and she was drowning in Alec's passion time and time again, both their hearts beating faster than they should and Alec's pacemaker working overtime, their hips moving against each other's, Rose wanting to scream out but biting into his neck to stifle them as she felt him going deeper and deeper until she could no longer hold anything back and sent her plunging to the deepest depths she had never felt before, followed closely by Alec's triumphant 'yes' as he too tumbled over the edge and as they slowly recovered, Rose clung onto him like she was never going to let him go ever again

Alec unfastened the last of the buttons on Rose's blouse and pulled it off then unfastened her bra as she pulled his t-shirt over his head, Rose was giggling with the excitement of what had just happened, never in her life had she experienced anything like it and now she'd had a sample of it, that was the only way she ever wanted to make love to Alec again. Now she knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life, here in this world with him. Alec was kissing her breasts, carefully taking his time over one then the other as Rose was squeezing his bum and making him look up for a second from what he was busy engaging himself in, raising his eyebrows at her as if to say he would do it again, when he had finished with her breasts.

Rose was getting inpatient, she wanted him back and persisted with the pushing of her hips against his until he looked up again, silently saying, ok, playtime is over and then rolling over onto his back, taking Rose with him as she lay with her legs astride his, now he was squeezing her bum, making her press onto him, opening his mouth and aiming his tongue towards her mouth, Rose eagerly responding to let it in as they did battle and all the while, Alec was working up to attempt to grant her wish of a repeat performance she had so badly wanted as to her interrupting his thorough kissing of her several times over and now she had freed his tongue from her mouth and hers had won the battle as it found it's way unheeded into his mouth.

Satisfied she had won that round, she immediately moved her head down and raised herself slightly to begin kissing the hairs on his chest and when he only encouraged her, she did it even more, her hands on his shoulders, his arms still wrapped around her hips and his hands on her bum until she looked up and told him she wanted him again.

He was more than happy to oblige as he moved her over onto her back again and they had a repeat performance, less intense, more gentle on Alec's part but the end result was the same as they both came at the same time, Alec collapsing onto her and kissing her breasts again. They had completely lost track of time as finally, Alec turned onto his back, one arm underneath her and one hand stroking her cheek and he could just move enough to kiss her forehead, one of Rose's arms across his abdomen and they just lay there for a while, catching their breath, Alec asking if she was ok.

"I'm more than ok but I thought I'd lost you Alec, before I had the chance to tell you how I really feel about you. I knew you wouldn't leave without saying anything and Miller was going to imply you may have gone off with someone else but I knew you wouldn't just leave me, not after what I told you last night because if you'd been upset about it, you would have left me then but you didn't. Please tell me it's not always as dangerous as that for you because sometimes, my job can be dangerous too, that's something we'll both have to get used to then, if you're going to stick around that is." She looked up at him and raised her arm to stroke his beard. "And do you always have this? 'Cos I want you to keep it so you won't think I only want you because you remind me of the friend I lost. I want to tell you about him sometimes, if you'll let me?"

"I want to know everything Sweetheart, I want to know all about your life in the other universe. You told me you got here by accident the first time and how you got stranded here but you didn't tell me how the accident happened. Was it an experiment that went wrong or was it something else? You said your friend was called the Doctor, what kind of doctor was he? One of science?"

"Alec, I'll tell you everything but first, can we go get something to eat, I'm starving, I went straight out of the hotel without breakfast when you went missing."

"Well, I didn't exactly get the chance to have any myself, it wasn't like I could ask my abductor to stop for breakfast on the way to where he was going to hold me hostage," he laughed, leaning down to kiss her.

Rose looked up at him and smiled. "Right, let's go get lunch then we'll come back and I'll let you see that video, it was taken on the night the Cybermen invaded my step-dad's home, just after we all arrived on this world and Pete, he documented the whole evening, from us arriving to everything that happened, including what happened afterwards, some of it is only a commentary in his own words but he kept it as a reminder of how me and my mum got here. There's only me and him have access to it, it's password protected and it's only something the both of us know. Jake, who you saw at the airport with me, he booby-trapped the file so if anyone tried to hack in they would get a little surprise and even he doesn't know what the password is and he's the most trustworthy man I know, well he was until I met you and don't worry about him, he's got a boyfriend already."

Alec smiled at her and propped her up, pulling her over and onto him, kissing her passionately until he let go, tucked her hair behind her ear and whispered, "I love you Rose Tyler."

Rose smiled back and looked at him, then said, "I know, I love you too, Alec Hardy, you're the only other man in this universe that knows about me outside Torchwood and I trust you with my life because this is my life now, I'm here to stay and I won't deny I tried to get back to my own world, we used all of the resources at our disposal and a few that weren't shall we say attainable without bending a few rules but they all failed and I'd given up on ever being happy again but when I spoke to my step-dad, he said he'd never seen me look as happy since I met you except when my mum married him and my little brother came along but I was happy for them, not for myself. You made me this happy Alec."

"Rose, I don't know what to say except I'm glad I could make you happy again, that it was me who's made you want to stay here now. I'd love to see that video footage and see what your friend looked like and when we go back to the UK, I look forward to meeting your step-dad and your mum, that's if you want me to that is? I know when we first got here, we were both using each other and don't look at me like that, I was using you to get out of Gemma chatting me up and well, I can only guess you saw the same opportunity to use me to warn off the local men but it didn't quite work out how we expected did it? We never reckoned on falling in love and earlier, when I had a gun pointed at me, I realized I may never see you again to be able to tell you. After my operation, I didn't know what I wanted to do, go back to work there or move somewhere new but like it or not, Broadchurch became my adopted home and if I really am going to produce that book, I'll have to go back there anyway and I've always been a cop, I don't know anything else."

They got out of bed, it was early afternoon, neither of them had realised and went down in search of a late lunch, walking just down the street, arm in arm, studying the menu of a bar and grill that was still serving food, talking as they ate, Rose wasn't going back to the Police Department but felt she owed them at least a goodbye so she was going to call in the next morning, making sure Alec went with her so she knew where he was. Alec wanted to buy her some more flowers and went into the store he had got the last one's from, the assistant smiled at him when he went in with Rose and remarked that she could see the last bunch had worked well. Rose just gave a puzzled look but could imagine he had gone to great lengths on his supposed making up with her when they had just arrived. Leaving with a big bunch of mixed flowers then dragging her into the same shop he'd bought the chocolates from that were still half eaten, Rose protesting she didn't want any more chocolates so instead he bought a smaller box filled with jellied sweets and said they would share them later.

Still with the flowers in one hand and her other in Alec's, they walked down to harbour and sat and watched the boats and when she asked him if he wanted to go out on one sometime Alec finally told her why he hated the water so much and Rose's heart went out to him because he had shared his one secret he had never even shared with his ex wife. They talked a while, Rose told him if he wanted, she could try and contact his daughter for him when they got back and Alec said he'd like that. She also admitted that she had asked Pete to look into his previous case, the one that was never solved and although he protested at first, she was able to convince him to use her connections to at least get someone to re-open the case to which he reluctantly agreed.

They also talked about what Rose actually did for her job and Alec was amazed at the hidden talents she possessed and the high rank she held.

"So, when we get back to the UK, you're going back to work there?" Alec asked, brushing a strand of her hair back.

Rose nodded and squeezed his hand. "Come back with me Alec, come and work with me, with us, you'll be a great asset, I happen to be well in with the director there," she teased.

"Yes, I can imagine you have a great deal of influence but I can't ask you to use it all for me, you're doing enough already. I can't ask you to do everything for me. That wouldn't be fair, you have to let me do some things my own way, for example, I want to look after you, not the other way around. I'm not asking you to give up what you do there, just maybe think about doing it somewhere else. You said you were sent here to open an office here, well, we could stay, if you want or we can go somewhere else, anywhere, you choose. You can even come back to Broadchurch with me, open an office there and I'll finish my book and go back to the police, part time so I can spend time with you."

He put his arm around her and she leaned on his shoulder, then kissed his cheek. "I love you Alec, I don't have to go back to working in London, we're always looking for new locations, out of the way places, like I said, I'm well in with the boss. I don't know about staying here though, I don't think I could deal with seeing you in two different places at the same time." Rose laughed, putting her fingers inbetween Alec's. "Come on, I want you to see that video before we start making any plans, you might just change your mind."

They got up Alec taking the flowers from her and linked arms. They had just got near to their hotel when they saw the other two detectives, walking out of the local newspaper office and Alec was curious as to why they had gone to the press so early. Maybe Carver trusted them more than he had trusted the Broadchurch Echo and hoped that this Detective Miller didn't have a nephew who worked there. He was surprised though that people hadn't stopped him in the street and mistaken him for the other detective but maybe it was to early in the investigation for people to know what Carver looked like so he thought he was fairly safe for now.

Rose logged onto her secure Torchwood connection and pulled up the file containing everything Pete had documented and Alec watched and listened in silence, Rose watched him, watched his reaction when the footage from the Tyler mansion and in particularly where she and the Doctor were dressed as serving staff, then he listened to the commentary, the part where Rose had gone away as Pete described her, what she and her friends had done, for no other reason than they just happened to be there at the right time and had wanted no glory, no word of thanks and how Rose had believed he was her dad on her own world. How he had shunned her at the last minute before she disappeared for three years and how he had regretted letting her go. Then his joy at finding out he could repay her and her friend for what they had done for him and this world and how heart-broken Rose was when she lost her friend, the Doctor forever as the world was sealed off.

When the video had finished, Alec turned to her and said he loved her even more now he had seen and heard what happened that night for himself and had heard how Pete had felt about her. Alec had a lot of questions he wanted to ask her but he decided he would wait and let her tell him in her own time but she volunteered to tell him, about how she first met the Doctor and gone off travelling with him to the time she had last seen him on the beach in Norway.

"Rose, I understand now, why you were reluctant to tell me but if you think that's going to put me off, then think again. I love you and that part of your life is over now. We can start a new one, together and we have over two weeks left of our holiday so let's start enjoying it. You're not going back to work and so we can go around the coast, taking photos and walking on the beach, just the two of us. What do you say Rose, come back to Broadchurch and live with me."

Rose just looked at him, he was so like her Doctor, the same kind face, the same caring nature and they were both resigned to being alone until she had met them. "I'd like that Alec, I think Torchwood would benefit from an office there, that's if you let me use my influence."

They kissed again, falling back onto the bed, Alec running his hand across her stomach, inching his fingers under her top she had changed into earlier and pulling the waistband of her jeans, unfastening just the button then leaning down and kissing along the top of her panties as she ruffled his hair with her fingers. They stayed just like that until it was time for dinner, staying out for a few drinks then making love again, just like earlier.

Alec now believed that was what she did, everywhere she went, she touched people's lives, even for a few minutes and she made a difference because she had made a huge difference to his so far miserable life that he had thought he would never find anyone who would put up with him and what had started out as just an excuse to get out of a one-night stand had turned into this, Rose Tyler loved him and he loved her.

For the next few weeks, they kept out of the two local detectives way and fortunately, Alec wasn't mistaken for Carver because while Carver had been on live TV at a press conference, Rose and Alec were sat watching with everyone else in the bar and although at first people couldn't work out why he was Carver's double, they soon got used to it and the two became rather a novelty in the town.

On their last night in the town, Rose insisted on giving a bunch of flowers to Gemma as she had told Alec they had been a bit mean to her when they had arrived but if it hadn't been for her, they may not have got together. The bus ride back to the airport was much more pleasant than the one on the way there, so was the plane journey but they had to alter their seating so they could sit together as Rose had changed her plans by going back early. Jake met them at the airport, laughing when he realised Alec had been at the airport when Rose had been setting off and how Alec thought he and Rose were together.

After a happy reunion at the Tyler residence, Alec taking immediately to Rose's young brother and escaping the famous Jackie Tyler slap, Pete asked what their plans were and told Alec the case that had eluded him prior to his re-assignment to Broadchurch had been re-opened and if he was going back to Broadchurch, his job was already waiting for him if he wanted it, no medical to pass and Pete explained just who it was he played golf with on Tuesday afternoons. He also said he would be more than happy to open an office in Broadchurch and leave Rose to run it and Jake could come down and help her get it ready.

All in all, it had been quite a good holiday for Alec, he had come back happier than he had been in a long time, he had made Rose happy and in turn made her parents happy after Pete confessed to him he never thought Rose would be happy again until she got back to her own world and found her Doctor again. On arrival back in Broadchurch, Alec checked them into The Trader's hotel and introduced Rose as his partner to Becca who was more than amused the grumpy detective had got himself a girlfriend and he introduced Rose to the town's own Miller, who Rose got on immediately with and made a fuss over her youngest son.

It didn't take long to get an office to rent, with living space above and the two of them moved in and set up home together. The office was going under the pretence of an idea Jake had come up with, funded fully by Torchwood and Alec was back at work, reducing his hours to spend time with Rose and Rose had even managed to contact Alec's daughter and they arranged to go see her the next bank holiday.

Alec's getaway to the small northern Californian town of Gracepoint had paid off, he had his rest, albeit it got interrupted by him being kidnapped but he had gained a girlfriend, spending time now in the evenings taking local photos to start putting together the book he'd pretended to be writing and making it into a reality and the two of them settled down to life in the small seaside town and despite little age difference, Rose got on well with Alec's daughter when they went to see her and invited her down to spend the Christmas and New Year with them in London at her parent's home and Alec finally got his book published.

The End!


End file.
